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[greenyes] RE: CTBC


Re: Computer Take Back Campaign

GreenYes seems like a good forum to ask the question: Why is giving
control of used products to a new product maker a good idea?

I think it plays into the hands of OEMs whose main competitor is reuse.
White Box PCs are 1/3 the total market. Lots been said about cartridge
refurbishment. HP rep at EScrap 2004 hailed a "guarantee" that
consumers electronics "will not be reused". Vance Packard, Planned
Obsolescence, google it. I visited Ninhai China, where a major printer
manufacturer paid $6M to China's government to have cartridge refillers
imprisoned and toner cartridges burned in the street.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/print.htm?TYPE=story&AT=20263339-2
000061744t-10000005c


Here are some other ideas which could make e-waste recycling as
successful as paper recycling:

- Mandatory Recycled Content: In the early 1990s we had a problem with
a glutted office paper market. Did we mandate that Weyerhauser take
back Weyerhauser paper, Union Camp take back Union Camp paper, etc.?
No, we mandated 20% recycled content in federal paper procurement. End
of glut.

- Mineral Fines: EPA just signed a $1B settlement with the owner (Grupo
Mexico) of the Asarco Copper mining superfund sites; could some of this
be SEP'd to e-scrap recycling?

- Mineral Policy: Metal mines (gold, copper, silver, palladium, lead,
etc.) are feeding cheap electronics via the General Mining Act of 1872.
14 of the 15 largest Superfund sites are these metal hardrock mines.
45% of all toxics released by ALL USA Industries. For a taxpayer rate
of $5/acre (leased, they don't want to OWN the superfund site) set in
1872. Change it to $15 per acre and all electronics recycling is paid
for.

- 1996 Telecommunications Act: FCC announced USA broadcasters can have
exclusive use of TWO spectrums (analogue TV and Digital TV) for FREE
until 2007, then anologue bandwidth is supposed to be auctioned by FCC
for billions $$$$ Can't a portion of that be set aside to recycle the
obsescented televisions? FYI USA's 1960s NTSC transition was done to
make black and white TVs forward-compatible, no such plan for your Sony.


- Software: The Old PCs work fine. It's the software that makes them
obsolete. The united attorney generals had a lawsuit going against some
big operating system multibillion company, can't remember the name, but
why not list cost of obsolescence (due to larger OS) as a harm and get a
share of the $300B the OS maker has stated they are willing to pay?

Why is there no dialogue about how to address escrap? Did Takeback take
away the other options?

Robin Ingenthron
www.retroworks.com
www.good-point.net
802-382-8500





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