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Japan Introduces Consumer-Paid Computer Recycling
Azuma writes "According to the Japan Times, starting Wednesday, new Japanese legislation takes effect that compels personal computer manufacturers to collect used PCs from households and recycle their parts, with consumers footing the bill, which will total anywhere from 3,000 yen ($28) to 4,000 yen ($37). So from today onwards, if you buy a new computer in Japan, your new computer should have a new logo besides commercial ones such as Intel Inside... 'Recycling Fee Prepaid'."
Ever live in Japan? There is simply no room for keeping all your old stuff. Incidentally, when I was there in 1987-88 there was a Japan Times article about people (usu. us gaijin) furnishing there entire apt with stuff from the gomi, i.e. trash on the curb. We're talking fully functional stereo equipment - simply because the old owners had no room to keep old stuff around.
There is no off postion on the genius switch. - David Letterman
just have to see how it works out.
actually NHK had a lil program this morning (morning in JP) showing one of the recycling plants and how they recycle - basically smash everything with little hammers and separate (to a degree) the metal from the plastic from the PCB from the rubber sheets (keyboard) etc.
they also smash the ICs for some reason, probably because when it melts in the pot the molten silicon would trickle through (pure and absolute speculation)...
This creates jobs (though mundane), and helps with waste - japan is not known for having a lot of area for landfills; so as long as things get recycled (instead of, say, shipped to china), I am cool with it.
Though it would change the recycle shops (read: used stuff shops) business model on old computers... maybe it becomes cheaper to sell your old PC to a recycle shop? Would the recycle shops be totally fscked because they have a collection of junk PC sitting around?
Heck, my company has an array of junk PCs (actually, Pentium II class, which I am amazed that they are tossing out) sitting around. Maybe they will be sitting around a lot longer now that it costs money to dispose... hmm...
My life in the land of the rising sun.
If Japan is so upset about people tossing computers away instead of recycling them, why not charge customers more for hauling away the computer as trash instead of mandating them to send them back to manufacturers? These companies ought to be paying the consumers for their (recyclable) merchandise anyway since parts can be stripped from a few obselete comps and used to rebuild a less obselete one. Personally I think it would be better all around: computers would be recycled instead of tossed, consumers could get paid for recycling the parts, and companies could turn over a profit by reselling the parts as rebuilt comps. Anyone have any other ideas/thoughts on this?
As long as there is a Second Amendment, there will always be a First Amendment.
Indeed, and it stifles the economy in years down the road as well when all those jobs are lost to cleaning up the enviromental impact of improperly disposed of waste.
In this light we suddenly realize what a boon the terrorists provided for the international community by devestating the World Trade Center.
I can see the bumper stickers on the future cars of the building industry:
"Support the economy, support arson."
Some jobs, as it happens, while a personal boon to the job holder represent a loss of wealth. That is why you will see natural disasters couched in such terms, rather than being reported as a gain to certain individuals and industries. Man made disasters are just as much loss and natural ones.
You may not, of course, see it this way, but I'd hazard a guess you'd change your mind if someone stole and wrecked your car (stimulating the auto industry and creating jobs) or dumped a ton and a half of trash in your living room (stimulating the waste disposal industry).
You just miiiiiight see that as an overall loss of wealth.
KFG
"It's just another way that the Japanese government has found to stifle the already depressed economy."
Of course, that's the aim of the Japanese Government.
"Derp de derp."
I live in japan first of all, and here if you want to throw something big and complex away you need to pay to have it taken. Say a desk, a monitor, a TV, a computer, all of which you need to pay for. Now I had to pay about $60US once to throw away some furniture, so this may actually be cheaper/the same price.
Also, that depressed economy comment. Japan's economy is still the second strongest in the world, hands down. Furthermore, as of late they have had incredible recovery and the yen is actually stronger than they want it to be (anybody noticed that it hit 110 to the dollar yesterday!?). Not to mention the new bank consolidation is working like a charm, P.M. Koizumi is an economic genius.
And as for this, it will help the already bad trash problem and people here really aren't afraid to pay for such things. This is a great thing as far as I can see.
Do you want the 386? Do you think anyone else does? Obviously, products reach the end of their usable life, and all products eventually need to be recycled. It's good that Japan has a program in-place, and there should have been such a program in the USA for the past 20 years.
There are plenty of reasons to buy new products. Warranties and reliability come to mind. Also, there is the issue of effeciency. Despite what people may believe, for the performance of modern computers, they are many times more effecient than older computers. Buying older systems can very likely cost you loads more on your electric bill. Then there's always the people that need good performance, not older systems that are just good enough to browse the web.
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