Electronic Stewardship in Japan

A Japanese law requires computer recycling at consumers' expense. The new legislation compels computer manufacturers to collect used PCs from households and recycle their parts, with consumers footing the bill. Businesses have been required to recycle their PCs since 2001. The new legislation is a response to the growing number of personal computers being discarded in recent years. In 2001, there were roughly 24 million home computers in use, or 50.1 percent of Japan's households. But during the same time, some 9,000 tons of home-use computers were scrapped -- the equivalent of 460,000 units. Although government officials say these figures are not high compared with other waste, experts say the volume of discarded PCs is expected to double or even triple in the next few years.

(Source: WasteWatch, October 2003)

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