The market for used industrial equipment, however strong domestically, definitely had a string tied to it till a little while back. With the diplomatic relations improving with various countries and the safety criteria of the used equipments getting stringent, many countries have considered the issue of lifting the ban on import of used industrial equipments. The result, the ban lifted on import of used industrial equipment in quite a few countries and a flourish in the market of used industrial equipments.

What are the categories to which used equipments can cater to?

Quite rightly, used equipments have a safety tag attached to them and it would be quite risky to use them in all spheres. Sectors that can do really well with used equipments are:

• Medical
• Food
• Technical or mechanical

The ban has been lifted in countries, such as Pakistan, that now has a capacity to import equipments for:

• Industrial dry cleaning machines
• Vending machines for postage stamps
• Food and beverages
• Money changing machines
• Electromagnets
• Permanent magnets or items that can become permanent magnets after magnetization
• Laboratory specific lenses, prisms, mirrors and other optical elements
• Optical telescopes
• Astronomical instruments
• Balances of sensitivity of 5cg and more
• Hydrometers, pyrometers, barometers, hygrometers, and psycho meters
• Automatic specialised mobile trolleys for wet processing textile industry
• Firefighting vehicles or fire tenders
• Ambulances not older than five years

Even scraps of stainless steel wastes, seconds, and cuttings are also allowed to be imported now. However, they have to be in the form of coils or circles of AISI-200, AISI-300 and AISI-400 series. These would melted again by the local industry before further use.

Sometimes, used electronic equipment may be considered as a hazardous waste. Therefore, special permits are needed before importing or exporting them.

How do you know which electronic equipment is waste?

If the equipment has faults such as those mentioned below or contains chemicals as defined legally by the trade administration, it will be considered as a waste. Does the equipment have:

1. A defect that affects its proper functioning?
a. This defect can also include any physical damage that weakens its safe functioning. Proper functioning is often measured according to relevant industry standards or specifications.
2. Batteries made with
a. lead, mercury, or cadmium
b. hazardous liquid cathodes that cannot be charged
3. Inadequate packaging that can’t protect it during transportation or installation.

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