RE: [greenyes] Producer Responsibility for Computer Recycling in Switzerland

["Eric Lombardi" <eric@no.address>]

Wow...thanks John, this Swiss project is excellent ... and it's
remarkable the cooperation they get from industry (IBM, Sun, etc) on
e-scrap recovery.  

Makes me want to ask, yet again... "Why Not Here?"

Eric Lombardi
Executive Director
Eco-Cycle, Inc
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Reindl, John [mailto:Reindl@no.address] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 7:36 AM
To: 'GreenYes@no.address'
Subject: [greenyes] Producer Responsibility for Computer Recycling in
Switzerland

For those of you interested in the recycling of computers (or other
electrical and electronic equipment), you might like to see the 10 year
anniversary report of the Swiss Association for Information,
Communication
and Organisational Technology (SWICO) at
http://swico.one.webbuild.ch/file/TB_engl._komplett.pdf, which has set
up a
third-party producer-responsibility recycling program. 

According to recent magazine articles, Switzerland has the highest per
capita recycling rate of any country for Information Technology
equipment,
reaching nearly 4 kilograms per person last year, and over 9 kg per
person
when household appliances are included. SWICO notes that it has far
surpassed the goals for the EU WEEE directive, which is 4 kg/capita for
all
materials. 

The Swiss system is funded by incorporating the cost of the system into
the
purchase price of new equipment. Consumers can drop off equipment at no
charge. The membership of SWICO includes both individual manufacturers
and
trade organizations. SWICO licenses recyclers to handle the equipment,
which
is brought in by retailers, drop off centers and other collection
programs.


John Reindl, Recycling Manager
Dane County, WI