Japan’s new computer recycling law went into effect this month, giving the used computer business a boost.
The new Japanese legislation requires customers to pay a recycling fee of up to 5,000 yen (US$43) in addition to the regular price of new computers.
About 98 percent of new computers shipped this season will be stamped with a logo designed by the Japan Electronic and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) showing that the buyer has paid the recycling fee.
When the equipment is no longer wanted, it will be collected for free by the manufacturers, who will recycle the machines into their metal and plastic components.
Users of older computers will pay a disposal fee at the end of their machines’ lives. People who want to dispose of computers without the logo, must contact the manufacturer directly by phone or online to request a delivery slip from the recycling department.
Secondhand computer stores sell about one million computers each year in Japan, and used computer dealers like Sofmap believe the new regulations will attract public interest in used equipment as long as it is no older than five years old.
“The used computer market will likely grow threefold over the next three years,” a Sofmap official told the “Asahi Shimbun” newspaper today.
To finance the new system, computers sold after its implementation will have recycling fees of up to 5,000 yen (US$43) added to their price, while consumers will have to pay to dispose of items purchased before the system’s introduction.
The Tokyo metropolitan government will collect obsolete computers through JEITA for an additional 1,000 yen on top of the standard recycling fees.
According to a draft report on the program, in 2001 alone Japanese consumers discarded some 9,000 tons of household computers containing lead, mercury, and brominated fire retardants. This figure is expected to double by 2006.
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From Environment News Service, a SustainableBusiness.com Content Partner
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