The Milk Round and the Mountain: Resurrecting the Rag and Bone Man

For hundreds of years, in times of lesser abundance, the value of waste was understood through a far greater lens of utility. Consumption was not a one-way street ending in a bin, but a cycle of transitions. People collected the remnants of their daily lives—bones, paper, and metals—not as trash, but as assets. These items simply needed a steward to help them transition to their next opportunity for use. In Britain, that steward was the Rag and Bone man.

Rag and Bone man

The Rag and Bone man, who I have spoke about before, was more than a collector; he was a human interface at the end of the consumer experience. As he worked his way through a neighbourhood, he provided a space for negotiation and discussion. He was the offboarding experience. In that process, the consumer had an opportunity to haggle, was compensated for their trouble, and the "ending" of a product’s life felt managed rather than abandoned.

Mechanisation and the relentless flow of industrial efficiency eventually eliminated this role, freezing the Rag and Bone man in history as an unlikely relic. In his absence, the end of the consumer lifecycle became a lonely, cold, and functional space. The consumer was left alone to navigate drawers of ewaste and complex municipal waste instructions. However, sixty years after the last Rag and Bone man faded from the streets, an unexpected successor is emerging from a different tradition: the milkman.

Modern Milkman

Modern Milkman, a company that originally reversed the trend of supermarket dominance by returning to doorstep delivery, is now expanding its role. After successful trials, they have begun collecting unwanted electronic goods and toys. By picking up a bag of e-waste for a small fee, they are effectively resurrecting the steward of the end.

Industry bystanders

This is a breakthrough in collection, yet it highlights a gaping hole in the current model. The ewaste mountain in the UK is growing at a staggering rate. Recent findings suggest we have gone from stockpiling an average of 20 items to 30 within just four years. Remote controls, old mobile phones, and hairdryers sit in limbo because the off-boarding process of these products is too high-friction for the average person.

While I celebrate the businesses involved in this initiative, there is a notable absence: the producers. The same companies that used sophisticated brand marketing to attract and engage these customers, the same businesses that built amazing products to ease daily chores, are nowhere to be found when the product reaches its conclusion.

EPR

We often talk about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in terms of policy and hard materials, but we must look further. We should ask businesses to engage experientially with the consumer. This isn't just about recapturing plastic or gold; it is about protecting brand equity, gaining feedback, and understanding the limitations of a product to drive future insight. The responsibility for a coherent ending should not fall solely on the Modern Milkman; it must become the responsibility of the modern electronics business.

Recommendations for Industry

1. Go beyond Material Recapture to Experience Conclusion

Industry leaders must expand their perception of Extended Producer Responsibility as a mere tax or a waste-management hurdle. Instead, treat the off-boarding process as a premium user experience. By designing a clear, guided, and even emotional conclusion to the product relationship, brands can maintain a connection with the consumer that lasts beyond the functional life of a single device.

2. Implement Active Feedback Loops at the Point of Disposal

The end of a product's life is the most honest moment in the consumer journey. Businesses should create digital or physical touchpoints during the return process to capture end-of-life data. Understanding why a consumer finally let go, whether due to technical failure, aesthetic boredom, or a change in lifestyle, provides more valuable R&D insight than any mid-lifecycle survey.

3. Visualise the Ending at the Point of Purchase

To reduce the drawer of electronic waste phenomenon, the method of return or disposal should be as visible and celebrated as the unboxing experience. When a consumer knows exactly how a product will end at the moment they buy it, it reduces the psychological burden of ownership and builds a relationship based on transparency and mutual responsibility.