Slashdot Mirror

It's called recupel http://www.recupel.be/

Sorry for the slash at the end: http://www.recupel.be/portal/page?_pageid=531,7707 92&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
link solved.

I live in Belgium, and we've got a comparable system.
The consumer pays a 'small' fee so all electric and electronic equipment can be recycled. The fact that the consumer pays for it, brings an advantage. Because of this it's possible to return your broken crap at any store and they will take care of the rest.
The fees are reasonable, depending on the appliance.
If you want to learn more: http://www.recupel.be/portal/page?_pageid=531,7707 92&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL/

We already have this system "over here" in Belgium, and it seems to work. For example, I would pay 60 eurocents at the purchase of a new PC, and 3 euros for the purchase of a new screen. And 18.50 euros for a freezer. On the total pricing, it is not a large contribution. Tariffs can be found on recupel's site.

In return, any supplier is obliged to accept the return of an old appliance, even if he did not sell it. If you buy a new device, the supplier has to accept the old one, free of charge. As far as I know, you are not even obliged to make a purchase if you just want to drop off your old junk at a store, although I am pretty sure that it will be appreciated if you would bring the gear to a recycling center instead.

Typical for us Belgians, I presume, is that our 'recupel' is not a tax, strictly speaking, as it is not paid to the government. It is a obligatory contribution to the coffers of a collection of non-profit organizations. These more or less coincide with the professional organization of the major suppliers of consumer electronics, who do have a legal obligation to take back old equipment. Everything is organized by law, but its day-to-day running is not in the hands of the government. Probably this is more efficient, and besides, it encourages the suppliers to design their devices for easy end-of-life processing.

The legislation covers the mandatory take-back of all waste domestic appliances. The recycling contribution makes possible the collection and recycling of waste appliances.

The amount of this contribution varies from product group to product group. It is calculated as a function of the various processes required for recycling. This contribution is used to cover the costs associated with the collection, sorting, transport and recycling of discarded appliances. The amounts (VAT included) vary from 0.1 euro (pocket calculator, alarm clock) to 20 euro (refrigerator or freezer).

The legislation covers the mandatory take-back of all waste domestic appliances. The recycling contribution makes possible the collection and recycling of waste appliances.

The amount of this contribution varies from product group to product group. It is calculated as a function of the various processes required for recycling. This contribution is used to cover the costs associated with the collection, sorting, transport and recycling of discarded appliances. The amounts (VAT included) vary from 0.1 euro (pocket calculator, alarm clock) to 20 euro (refrigerator or freezer).

The legislation covers the mandatory take-back of all waste domestic appliances. The recycling contribution makes possible the collection and recycling of waste appliances.

The amount of this contribution varies from product group to product group. It is calculated as a function of the various processes required for recycling. This contribution is used to cover the costs associated with the collection, sorting, transport and recycling of discarded appliances. The amounts (VAT included) vary from 0.1 euro (pocket calculator, alarm clock) to 20 euro (refrigerator or freezer).

Here in .BE, we already have that kind of thing, sort of ... When you buy an new electronic or electric device (from your PC to your coffee-maker) you now have to pay a fee called the Recupel Tax. This tax (from € 0.5 for "small IT" over € 11 for a monitor to € 20 for a freezer) goes to an organisation that recycles the equipment. As a side-effect (and this is quite handy) every time you buy something, the dealer is forced to accept your old equipment.

We have this Tax for some time in belgium. For more information, check http://www.recupel.be/ (dutch, french).

See Recupel