ELECTRONIC SCRAP - THE CASE FOR REQUIRED RECYCLING

Waste should be avoided whereever possible - this principle was defined in 1975 by the West German Governments first official 'Waste Management Program' and was given more relevance in 1986, when Germany enacted its Waste Disposal Law, which was designed drastically to reduce waste resulting from short-lived and long-lived products With 1.5 million tons of electronic scrap landing on overflowing landfills each year, Germany is running out of room for yesterday's appliances. Following on the heals of the country's ambitious package recycling law is a proposed ordinance requiring manufacturers and retailers of electronic merchandise to take back their products at the end of their service lives.