The costs of recycling
It's the issue of disposal that has drawn manufacturers' attention. They're worried about the logistics--and especially about how it will translate into dollars and cents.
"The recycling targets that were set are pretty high," Minter said. "It's not certain how achievable they are. It's never been done before on this scale."
The EU expects the net costs of its collection and recycling requirements for all household electronic equipment to total between US$450 million and $800 million per year in its 15 member states, with commercial equipment adding roughly 20 percent to those costs. For the individual consumer, the requirements would likely mean a premium of about 1 percent for most electronic goods, and as much as 3 percent for monitors, according to EU estimates. That could add some $10 to $50 to the typical price of a PC.
Or the cost could come when consumers get rid of their old equipment. In a recycling program IBM launched last November, the company is charging $29.99 for consumers and small businesses to ship it any brand of PC, monitor, printer or peripheral. Retailer Best Buy, which will be launching its own electronics recycling initiative later this year, charged between $10 and $25 per device in a pilot program last year, according to a spokesman.
"Economies of scale will play a big role," said Tony Hainault, a policy analyst with Minnesota's Office of Environmental Assistance, which worked with Sony to set up a recycling program for the consumer giant's products. "It will be important to collect a large volume of this material to make it cost-effective to recycle."
In the end, as with many environmental issues, the success of computer recycling may rest with the individual.
As the EPA's Tumarkin put it: "We say it's on everyone in the supply chain, from manufacturer to consumer."
