News and New Products

Competition in Europe Pulls Down Recycling Costs

By Steve Bush -- Electronics Weekly, 6/22/2006

The cost of recycling electronic products is falling dramatically as companies start to comply with the WEEE directive, according to waste consultancy Environ.

“Recyclers are reducing their prices per ton across Europe, particularly in countries where there is competition,” the company’s head of WEEE, Dr Aidan Turnbull.

This adds weight to the findings of Hewlett-Packard, which earlier this month published data showing the costs of recycling one of the company’s notebook computers in a number of European countries.

The company found recycling costs in relation to the end product price for consumers were lower than initially feared, citing for every notebook sold: E0.07 in Germany, E0.20 in Spain and E0.39 in Austria.

“We are pleasantly surprised by how low costs actually are in the competitive environment,” said Klaus Hieronymi, HP’s European director for environmental management.

On the other hand, said HP, in Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland, where there are no competitive markets, the costs are higher. 

Turnbull of Environ agrees, picking two examples: “Belgium has a monopoly, there is no real competition. In Germany producers and manufacturers have a choice and recycling costs per ton continue to go down.”

Environ’s services are aimed at mid-sized producers that do not want to join compliance schemes, said Turnbull.

The company specializes in setting up Web sites for producers that show consumers how to recycle their products. “The producer presents the website address below crossed-out wheelie bin on the product to signpost information for the end-user,” said Environ. The firm also brokers deals between producers and recyclers across Europe.

Electronics Weekly is the London-based sister publication of Electronic News.