Economic sensitivity for end of life planning and processing of personal computers

As the use of personal computers (PCs) increases, their short life cycle and the fact that they contain many hazardous materials have a significant influence on finding economical and environmentally benign means for their retirement and disposal. Many communities are mandating the recycling of these PCs to recover parts and materials and to minimize the amount of waste landfilled or incinerated. An industry to process end-of-life PCs is evolving to take advantage of this stream of materials. At present, PC recycling is not profitable unless the recycler receives a processing fee. In this paper, the factors that most influence the profitability of end of life processing of PCs are investigated and reported so that PC manufacturers and legislators may better develop products and policies to ensure that there is a viable PCs recycling infrastructure.