PC Vendors Pursue Recycling Program

Trying to keep discarded electronic devices from harming the environment, a group representing more than 2000 vendors is beginning to test several recycling options for monitors, TVs, PCs, and peripherals.

The project will start in October, last for a year, and involve several states, according to the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), a 2100-member group of electronic and high-tech associations and companies.

Participating manufacturers include Canon, Hewlett-Packard, JVC Americas, Nokia, Philips Electronics, and Sony. More are expected to join, the EIA says.

As new hardware sales rise, more discarded electronic devices end up in landfills. The EIA is testing how to recycle efficiently and cost-effectively by running three methods: a municipal model, a retailer model, and a consumer drop-off model. The information generated from the trial will guide development of a long-term program, the EIA says.

Testing Several Methods

Under the municipal model, local governments would collect used electronics and transport them to a recycler, which would be reimbursed by participating manufacturers. In the retailer model, the industry would provide funds to retailers, who would then hold collection events and transport the material to recyclers. In the consumer drop-off model, consumers would bring devices to a retailer and pay a fee to cover recycling costs. The industry would fund promotion, education, and rebates.

Environmentally conscious PC disposal isn't new. Some vendors already have their own plans in place. Hewlett-Packard has long accepted returns of used printer cartridges, and in May the company announced it will accept used equipment of any brand for recycling.

IBM has been accepting PCs, monitors, printers, and optional attachments in the United States for a fee of $29.99 since last November. Among other PC sellers, recycling initiatives are mostly limited to buyers of new equipment. Gateway, for example, offers a rebate of up to $50 toward a new Gateway PC to customers who turn in an old one.

Some states restrict how electronic gear can be discarded. In Europe, the European Union is developing guidelines for the recycling of electronics. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, consumers already pay a disposal fee used to pay for recycling when they purchase new electronic devices and appliances.

(IDG News Service Berlin Correspondent Rick Perera contributed to this article.)