Status of Recycling Post-Consumer Use Personal Computers in Municipalities

February 4, 2005

The Ministry of the Environment conducted a questionnaire survey on recovery of post-consumer use personal computers from domestic households by manufacturers, etc., which had started in October 2003, and compiled a report on the recovery status by local municipalities as of October 1, 2004. The Ministry requested municipalities all over Japan through prefectural governments to answer the questionnaire and received valid answers from 2,964 municipalities whose total population is 124.08 million.

1.    Recovery status

The number of municipalities answered that they had collected post-consumer use personal computers in the second half of FY 2003 (Oct. 2003 - March 2004) is 1,664. The total number of units collected for the four items below is 35,253, decreased from 101,589 units in the first half of FY 2003 (April - Sept. 2003), before recovery by manufactures started. The number of municipalities answered that their office collected post-consumer use personal computers in the first half of FY 2004 (April - Sept. 2004) is 1,739, and the total number of units collected for the four items is 35,523. (Table 1)

2.	Recovery system for post-consumer use personal computers by municipalities

The number of municipalities which basically do not collect post-consumer use personal computers, which includes personal computers that do not have manufacturers who are responsible for recycling (hereinafter referred to as the "items without a party responsible for recycling"), has increased compared to that of last year.

As for personal computers which are liable for recycling by manufacturers and parties concerned (hereinafter referred to as the "liable items"), 2,700 municipalities, which consist of 91% of all the municipalities that answered the questionnaire, are not conducting collection of such personal computers in their offices. (Table 2)

3.	Municipalities collecting only items without a party responsible for recycling

Out of 2,196 municipalities which basically do not undertake any administrative collection including items without a party responsible for recycling, 1,508 municipalities (69%) answered that those items were disposed of by PC 3R Promotion Center. Simple average of disposing charges on these personal computers by domestic solid waste management operators ranges from ¥1,730 to ¥2,210 per unit.

4.	Municipalities not collecting any items, including items without a responsible party for recycling

Simple average of disposing charges on administrative collection in 504 municipalities treating only items without a responsible party for recycling ranges from ¥260 to ¥350 per unit. Out of 504 municipalities, 188 (37%) municipalities collecting only items without a party responsible for recycling is planning to holt administrative collection in the future.

5.	Municipalities collecting both liable items and items absence of a responsible party for recycling

Simple average of collection charges ranges from ¥350 to ¥470 per unit in 264 municipalities collecting both liable items and items without a responsible party. Out of 264 municipalities, 75 municipalities (28%) are planning to stop administrative collection of items without a party responsible for recycling and 76 municipalities (29%) are planning to stop administrative collection of liable items.

6.	Illegal dumping

Among 656 municipalities collected illegally dumped personal computers, 24% (159 municipalities) transferred collected liable items (including those without PC recycle mark) to manufacturers while sending items without a responsible party for recycling to PC 3R Promotion Center.

<Status of collection of illegally dumped personal computers during the first half of FY 2004>

<Treatment of illegally dumped personal computers>

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* Table 1	Number of Personal Computers Collected by Municipalities
* Table 2	Recovery System for Post-Consumer Use Personal Computers

* PC 3R Promotion Center