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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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