1996 Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap - Civil and ...

Disposition
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Government, business, and consumers must all participate so that enough material is generated
to be cost-effective.
An increasing volume and variety of discarded equipment requires approaches that can
grow and adapt to changing conditions.
The results must be apparent and measurable. Measurements would include, for
example, cost savings associated with reductions in hazardous waste volumes; energy
conserved; volume of material diverted from landfills by the recycling of plastics, metal,
and glass; and cost savings resulting from the use of recycled materials rather than new
materials in production.
Cooperative efforts between industry and government might result in a focused legislative and
public education program to stimulate markets and remove roadblocks to recycled products or
materials, provide incentives to motivate companies to participate, and encourage and educate
consumers. In such an effort, trade associations are critical. The goal is to influence opinion to
remove barriers or create incentives, promote inter-jurisdictional (and international) conformity
in definitions and regulations, and promote public acceptance of recycled-content products and
materials. This effort would also address the importance of integrating environmental messages
and supporting statements about recycled products into educational curricula.
Among private consumers, acceptability could be addressed through the provision of warranties
comparable to new equipment, and increased use by the information technology industry of
outlet stores (mirroring a national trend popular in many other product segments). In addition,
secondary markets for refurbished equipment or recaptured components or materials need to be
established. Perhaps an initial education-based step is a public campaign of consumer and
corporate education that encourages the return of equipment.
One proposed infrastructure approach from the talan group, inc. (tgi) provides an incentive for
the computer owner to make the system available for dispositioning. tgi proposes that homecomputer
owners be given a tax break for donating a computer system to a charitable foundation,
the amount of the tax break will be dependent upon the particular type of computer. Via a
network established for this program, the user would contact a commercial shipping company to
receive a shipping package and arrange for a product pick-up. The shipping fee would be
charged to the donor, and may be tax deductible. Once the foundation receives the system, the
donor is provided with a receipt and the foundation moves forward with reclamation of
components and recycling for resource materials.
Another potential collection infrastructure was discussed at the 1995 MCC Electronic Products
Disposition workshop, where opportunities and challenges of attracting investment and
entrepreneurs to opportunities with retired computers were put forth. One critical need identified
was to more fully characterize the existing installed base and disposition channels. There is a
need for a more in-depth understanding about the installed base of electronic products that might
enter the disposition pipeline. There is also a need for a greater understanding of the channels
available for managing retired computer systems. This effort could take the form of a joint effort
between OEMs, suppliers of recovery/recycling services, and the government. Other industries
would also be studied to identify applicable/replicable models. A general model was discussed at
the workshop for the disposition of consumer electronic products (see Figure 5-1).