Mar 20 - EU E-Waste Directive: Manufacturers Debate Fee Issue
Just as in the United States, electronics manufacturers in Europe continue to debate whether the objectives of a producer responsibility program for the recycling of e-waste is best achieved through the imposition of a standard menu of visible fees, or by manufacturers internalizing the cost and simply boosting the price of products to retailers and consumers.
European recycling newssite Letsrecycle.com reports that producers of electronic equipment have warned that unless consumers are charged a standard fee for the recycling of old electronics, small retailers will suffer.
The warning came from AMDEA – the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances – and Sony. And, just as in the US, IT producer Hewlett Packard has repeated its opposition to the use of mandatory visible fees, stating that a standard fee would not encourage industry to minimize recycling costs.