Reuse practices. Reuse of waste understood as a part of the “3R”-concept of waste minimization (in addition to waste reduction and waste recycling) is one of the most effective instruments of managing solid waste and preventing negative environmental impacts of solid waste management. Reuse practices reduce waste collection and disposal costs. These practices focus on avoiding the generation of waste instead of trying to manage huge amounts after having been created. Methods for reuse include repairing broken items instead of buying new, designing products to be refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of plastic shopping bags) or the reuse of second-hand products. Reuse activities are widely practiced in low income societies which dominate in development countries. Therefore reuse activities should be taken into consideration while evaluation actual and designing future waste management schemes. Nevertheless possible disadvantages of reuse practices and environmental costs have to be taken into account. The following criteria have to be considered: Waste types reused: Based on the waste characteristics it is essential, to categorize the different waste types being reused. This criterion gives an indication on existing reuse practices. Organization and practices of reuse Research indicated that existing reuse practices have to be distinguished according to a low- income and a high-income background (Xxxxxxxxxx, 2002). Directly reuse (including as well a high rate of reuse) is first of all a common phenomenon for the low-income class of population especially in peri-urban and rural areas. In these areas the reuse is related to bottles, plastic bags, paper or cans for domestic use. In contrast in high-income areas rather than reusing the materials directly the bottles, plastics or paper will be sold to middlemen or commercial centre that pay for these materials. Intended purpose of this criterion is in the first place to assess whether exist the organization of reuse and if so to describe in the second place the way of organization and the different practices. Figure 1 Market for second hand electronics in Nigeria (Öko-Institute e.V) Environmental impact of the reuse practices:
