The theme of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day (15th March) is “The Sustainable Consumer”, advocating to raise the awareness on sustainable consumption, and to enable consumers to foster environmentally friendly consumption habits through public education and knowledge sharing in a bid to incorporate the "sustainable" element into every detail of our daily life. Increasing convenience in the modes of consumption induces impulsiveness and excessive consumption; from the consumption of resources in the production process to the burden of disposing consumer goods on landfills, in every stage of the product life cycle would bring damages to the environment. Implementing the “sustainable consumption model” requires every one of us to take solid action.
In response to the call from the Consumers International, the Consumer Council has designed a quiz on the challenges of performing sustainable consumption behaviour. Available in the current issue of CHOICE magazine and its website, the 2-level quiz (basic and advanced version) is opened to the public to check out their own sustainable consumption behaviour in 4 main aspects of daily life: clothing, dining, living and commuting. By establishing a “sustainable” lifestyle, everyone would perform well as a guru in sustainable consumption, making more contribution to both the global environment and oneself.
Another way to realize the concept of sustainable consumption is to prolong the product life. When replacing old furniture, consumers may consider recycling usable old furniture to maximize its value. Instead of purchasing new ones, they can search for suitable second-hand furniture via second-hand goods platforms or stores, to support the “use less, waste less” culture. The Council reviewed 7 second-hand furniture recycling service companies in Hong Kong and revealed that despite most of the companies imposed charges, and take time to wait for on-site collection, they generally would sell the recycled furniture through second-hand market, and some companies would even reallocate available resources to those in need or charitable organizations in support of environmental protection and waste reduction.
The Council sent a questionnaire to 11 second-hand furniture recycling service companies in November and December last year, inquiring on information, such as the type, criteria, turnaround time, charges, after-sales service and handling of the second-hand furniture being recycled. Response from the industry was very lukewarm with replies from 6 companies only, resulting a mere response rate of less than 60%. The information collected online from the non-responded companies revealed that some of them did not provide official website or the information available on their websites was not comprehensive. Only 1 company provides relatively sufficient information and was included in the instant survey. The Council suggested the industry to enhance their transparency to allow consumers to obtain comprehensive and accurate information and boost their confidence in supporting the concept of reusing second-hand furniture.
The survey findings indicated that, 5 out of the 7 companies determined charges according to the quality, quantity, location or actual situation; only 1 of them provided a clearer service fee table for reference; another 1 may pay for the furniture after deducting manhour cost if the furniture involved is more valuable; 1 provided option on free or charged service and longer waiting time will be expected if opt for free service. There was another 1 offering free service, except it was an oversized furniture, or the location required the use of staircase for moving the furniture. The respective handling charge would be $50 to $100 per piece per floor, up to the maximum of 5 floors.
The furniture to be recycled should be in good shape, re-usable and structurally safe. Most of the companies would consider the style, quantity and size of the furniture to be recycled as well as the location of the service in determining the service provision. Some companies may have specific requirements for items that require assembling or special handling, such as frame of bunk beds, assembled cabinets, floor/table lamps etc., with 1 company involved in the survey specifically declined to accept assembled wardrobes. As for furniture being mounted on wall, custom-made, too old, damaged or discoloured, they would not generally be accepted. 1 company indicated clearly not to recycle furniture of specific brand; and electrical appliances to be recycled should be able to operate and function normally. Hence, consumers should take note that whether the used furniture meet the requirements of the service providers.
Before engaging the service, consumers were usually requested to provide furniture information in advance to determine if the furniture worth to collect and the charges involved. In case there were discrepancies between the actual quality or quantity of the furniture and their descriptions, 1 company would refuse to collect and indicated that transportation and manhour cost would still incur if none of the items could be recycled; 5 companies might refuse collection, of which 3 might incur extra charges if required; whereas the remaining 1 would negotiate with consumers or might levy additional charges.
For used furniture not fulfilling the criteria for recycling and required disposal, 6 companies would charge respectively according to the size, type, weight of the furniture, and also the moving location and district. Amongst all, 3 companies require consumers to buy their second-hand furniture before considering provision of the disposal service.
The recycled furniture was mainly sold at stores, workshops or online afterwards. 3 companies would donate part of the recycled furniture to those in need, charitable organizations or neighbourhoods; 1 of which claimed the furniture was free for collection. As for the after-sales service, 3 companies indicated that consumers may contact them for further follow-up within 7 days after the purchase if there were problems on the structure or function of the sold second-hand furniture; 1 company would arrange door-to-door technician service to re-colour or repair the sold second-hand furniture; another company accepted refund application for damaged second-hand electrical appliances sold within 1 month. The other 2 companies did not offer maintenance services to sold second-hand electrical appliances, but 1 of them claimed the company would offer assistance and provide proper instructions through phone calls or instant messengers, or even offered on-site assistance if consumers encountered technical problems in assembling the second-hand furniture.
Recycling and purchasing second-hand furniture give a new life and meaning to used items while reducing waste being disposed in landfills, thereby increasing the chance to reuse old items. Consumers should pay heed to the following when purchasing second-hand furniture recycling companies:
- Check carefully the type, charges, payment method, turnaround time required for pick-up of the furniture or electrical appliances to be recycled to ensure the service fit one’s needs;
- Defects or minor damage may be found in second-hand furniture, consumers should check whether there is any de-colouring and scratch, and if door hinges or drawers are smooth enough to work properly;
- Despite some shops offered online sales service for consumers’ convenience, it is still suggested to shop in person to inspect the actual condition of the furniture;
- The after-sales service between second-hand and brand-new furniture may be different, related details on the terms should be checked thoroughly before purchase. Take extra caution during purchase and check carefully upon delivery.
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