“We paid disposal fee on computers, right? Then surely the manufacturer/distributor of the computer is responsible for the proper and environmentally friendly disposal of old computers?”. We get this question from time to time from our clients, and understandably so, because what about it? To get right to the point…. This is totally different regulated already with all other electrical appliances : No disposal fee on computers ! Disposal fee is an amount that is added to the purchase price of numerous products to ensure that these products are properly recycled after their working life. This system currently works (almost everywhere) in the EU. This system allows one to give the old appliance to the vendor/retailer when purchasing an electrical appliance and they will then ensure that the appliance goes through the proper routes to be properly recycled. The joint producers and distributors have set up a system (along with a foundation) so that this material is collected, bulked up and then recycled. With computers and computer equipment, this is not so regulated. This is partly because many computers are composite devices, there are untold numbers of brands and brand names, and therefore it is often impossible to find out who a device came from. However, the seller of a new computer is required to take in the old appliance, which then goes through the interference of the “Wecycle” foundation toward recycling. Not to mention that individuals nationwide may drop off their old computers and computer equipment free of charge at the local municipal landfill. The landfill then makes sure those old computers eventually end up at a recycling company. At least that’s how it should go, because in the past there have been scandals when it turned out that computers from Dutch private individuals – delivered to the municipalities’ recycling centers – ended up in a mountain in Nigeria. Let’s just hope these were incidents and then people have since changed their lives. The maximum number that individuals can drop off old computer equipment at the local recycling center is 7 units. The situation is therefore different for companies, which cannot go to the municipal waste disposal site and must take care of proper disposal of their computer waste themselves. Or they should tout their old device when buying every new computer that sells. However, we see in practice that computer vendors around the country are often not too keen on this and are pushing their mustache. Conclusion of this story : No disposal fee on computers – individuals can go to the environmental street, but companies must take care of proper and environmentally friendly disposal of old computers themselves. And that’s not always easy, if we consider that even our own government lets small children take apart old computers on a mountain in Nigeria! So the best thing to do as a company is to hire a reliable service provider. 