NEC Establishes Home-PC Recycling System

Japan's NEC Corporation has established a recycling system for used personal computers (PCs) from homes. It has set collection and recycling fees and set up an Internet Web site and phone number for people to arrange for their old computers to be collected.

Under a new law in Japan, PC manufacturers will be required to collect and recycle used home-PCs, starting on October 1, 2003. When selling new PCs after that date, manufactures will tack a collection fee on to the sales price and attach a PC-recycling logo that has been created by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA). But NEC succeeded in launching the new system to cover PCs shipped even before that date.

NEC will collect and recycle used-PCs and computer displays that it has manufactured, at a cost to users of 3,000 or 4,000 yen (about U.S.$25 or $33) per computer. Peripherals will also be collected if they were bundled with the PC at the time of purchase. After making arrangements for collection and packing the PC or display, a user either drops it off at the nearest post office or asks a mail carrier to pick it up. The recycling of the PCs collected will include data erasure, disassembling of components at a recycling facility, etc.

A user can pay the fee either at a post office, and if the payment is made at a convenience store or by Internet, it can be by credit card. NEC is using the collection system for used home-PCs that has been jointly developed by JEITA and Japan Post.



- Japan Post to Collect Used Home PCs (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/294-j

Posted: 2003/08/07 02:27:58 PM
Japanese version