Recycling computers

But companies say they are not so sure people can be persuaded to do their bit and not simply dump products in their wheelie bins when they no longer want them.

This concern is not misplaced. Even though many of the details of the directive still need to be clarified by the Department for Trade and Industry (www.dti.gov.uk) before it comes into force in January 2006, most of the major manufacturers have had recycling schemes in place for sometime now that consumers can use.

But few take advantage, even though the average householder in the UK now owns 25 electrical and electronic appliances. Yet the UK still disposes of at least one million tons of electrical waste every year and almost all (90 per cent) of this ends up as landfill.

What manufacturers are doing
This is surprising because manufacturers such as HP (www.hp.com/recycle) and retailers such as PC World (www.pcworld.co.uk) already have some recycling schemes that are easy to use and don’t cost consumers a penny to use.

Fujitsu's recycling plant in Germany has been running for more than 12 years now. Admittedly it has concentrated on business customers but this will change to include consumer waste.

Those buying new PCs or printers from Dell can have their unwanted equipment collected for recycling free of charge, regardless of who originally made the item.
If you don't want to buy a new product, the company will take back old Dell products. Consumers can go to www.dell.co.uk/recycling and book a collection.

Also knowing people are often reluctant to bin equipment that still has a good deal of life left in it, the company has formed a partnership with the charity, the National Cristina Foundation.

Anyone who wants to donate computer hardware can go to a site called ReCOM to arrange collection so donated equipment can be refurbished and given to charities. HP has also had a longstanding recycling scheme and launched its 'Planet Partners' return and recycling programme in 1991, which now operates in 30 countries.

To tempt people to recycle, it has also introduced initiatives such as e-coupons, which offer online recycling customers savings on new products from HPshopping.com. Although inkjet cartridges aren’t covered by WEEE, HP is also taking used ones back. Consumers can also send back these to HP using pre-paid labels and envelopes.

There is money to be made from empty inkjet cartridges as there is a huge market for these to be refilled. How much you get depends on the manufacturer - Canon and Epson are not that sought after and would only bring in around 20 pence or so.

Canon does offer a recycling scheme for laser toner cartridges
as does Epson.