ABSTRACT
Two groups today are increasingly interested in understanding and improving the economics of product disassembly to facilitate product stewardship and reverse logistics strategies. The first group, recyclers, are presented with the problem of dismantling products which were designed as long as 15 years ago, without thought to their ultimate disposal. Many of these designs make reclamation and disassembly of products a costly and unprofitable process. The second group is a growing number of manufacturers and designers who are interested in the implementation of product stewardship programs and the ultimate costs associated with material recovery opportunities (MROs). An MRO is defined as an opportunity to reclaim post-consumer products for recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse.
