Storage time limit for harvesting components for future repairs

QUESTION:

If an R2 Facility holds onto whole, non-functioning or untested electronic equipment in order to harvest components for future repairs, can the R2 Facility keep this whole equipment for more than one year?

ANSWER:

No, if an R2 Facility would like to use components from whole, non-functional equipment for future repairs, the R2 Facility would need to first remove those components from the non-functional equipment, in accordance with Appendix C-Test and Repair.

Appendix C(3) indicates:

An R2 Facility shall test, repair, and refurbish R2 Controlled Streams within one year of receipt from suppliers, or evaluate and inventory components for future use in repairing other equipment.

While the R2 Standard has cleared a path for R2 Facilities to keep components to fix other faulty equipment, this only applies to the components of the equipment, not to the whole equipment. If an R2 Facility would like to keep components (such as mobile phone LCD screens, circuits boards or capacitors) for more than one year to use for future repairs, they would need to do three things:

• Remove and separate these components from the whole equipment, and
• Evaluate the components to determine the capability of reuse (may be tested later), and
• Inventory the components (Since components may not be tested and categorized as functional yet, they are still an R2 Controlled Stream).

If an R2 Facility decides not to remove the components from non-working equipment, the R2 Facility would need to ensure that they do not store these R2-Controlled Streams for longer than one year, in accordance with Core 5(b)(3)(A):

(b) For all electronic equipment, components, and materials controlled by the R2 Facility, the R2 Facility shall:

(3) Not store R2 Controlled Streams, or materials with a negative value, for longer than one year, except where:

(A) Components have been evaluated and inventoried in accordance with Appendix C – Test and Repair

If the R2 Facility does not evaluate and inventory components for future reuse, the R2 Facility may:

• Repair the equipment and repeat testing after repair (Appendix C(4)(f)(2)), or
• Evaluate the equipment in accordance with Core 6 and continue processing (remaining options include):
  • Transfer to a downstream vendor qualified in accordance with Appendix A for testing, repair, and refurbishing (Core 6(d)(4)(C)), or if determined not capable of reuse:
  • Processed by the R2 Facility in accordance with Appendix E (Core 6(d)(5)(A)), or
  • Transferred to a downstream vendor qualified in accordance with Appendix A (Core 6(d)(5)(B).