Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation (WCRC), Seattle, a citizen-based advocacy group, has announced the results of a telephone survey addressing electronics waste and recycling.
Increasing public concern about toxics in computers and televisions and the limited recycling options available for electronics prompted the survey. Computers and televisions contain significant quantities of mercury and lead and are difficult to disassemble for recycling. Because of their toxic components, computers, monitors and televisions are in the process of being banned from disposal at landfills and incinerators in many communities across the U.S. and in Washington.
The study found that Seattle-area residents overwhelmingly believe that electronics manufacturers should be responsible for designing easily recyclable, less toxic products and for providing a safe and convenient way to recycle those products. In addition, the study revealed that retailers have a role to play. Residents would prefer to take their used computers back to local retailers for recycling. The study also noted that when faced with a "pre-paid" recycling fee added to the cost of the product, residents are highly unlikely to adjust their buying habits. But they would prefer to have the recycling fee included in the overall price of the product, rather than presented as a separate fee.
Study highlights include:
n 94 percent of respondents agreed that corporations making electronic products should be responsible for designing them to be easily recyclable and less toxic.
n 92 percent of respondents agreed that when electronics contain toxic lead and mercury, manufacturers should provide a safe and convenient way to recycle them.
n 71 percent of respondents would prefer that pre-paid recycling costs be included in the retail cost of the product.
n 61 percent of respondents would prefer to take their computers and electronic products back to a retailer for recycling, even if free recycling also was offered at local landfills and transfer stations or through the original manufacturer.
n If a pre-paid recycling fee of $15 were added to the cost of a television, 86 percent of survey respondents would buy it anyway. Only 8 percent said they would buy over the Internet to avoid the fee.
n Faced with a $20 fee to recycle an old computer system, 55 percent said they would bring the computer in for recycling. But 34 percent said they would store their computer at home instead of paying the fee to recycle the computer. Only 4 percent admitted that they would put it in the garbage illegally.
"The WCRC survey demonstrates that consumers are willing to step up and take responsibility for their part in the product stewardship process. And when consumers are asked to pay a reasonable recycling fee, they will still continue to buy electronics from their local retailer," WCRC citizen activist Suellen Mele said. "But they also want corporate manufacturers to be responsible for designing products that are environmentally-friendly as well as providing safe and convenient recycling programs."
The WCRC survey was written in cooperation with PRR, a Seattle consulting firm, and included in the August edition of SoundStats, a monthly omnibus survey fielded by Northwest Research Group. The poll was fielded between August 14 and August 18. The sample included 407 King County residents, chosen at random from local residential phone listings. The overall margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 5 percent. Full survey results are available online at http://www.prrbiz.com/WCRC_Report2.pdf.
The findings of the WCRC study are particularly notable because they directly contradict an Electronic Industries Association (EIA) poll administered to a sample of online consumers between May 28 and June 3. According to the EIA, a national trade organization that represents 80 percent of the U.S electronics manufacturers (a $550 billion industry), their poll results indicated that pre-paid recycling fees as low as $5 would reduce consumer likelihood to buy new electronic products. In addition, EIA reported that these consumers would choose to buy online, incurring additional shipping and handling costs, in order to avoid a pre-paid recycling fee at a retail store.
EIA has asserted that consumers attempting to bypass recycling fees would significantly impact state sales tax revenues in states enacting pre-paid recycling. Despite heavy industry lobbying, the California legislature passed such a bill (requiring pre-paid recycling fees) in mid-September, and similar bills are expected to be introduced in numerous states in the next year.
"It made no sense that consumers would rather pay significant shipping and handling charges for an Internet purchase in order to avoid a much smaller fee that helps them and the environment,” Mele said. “We wanted to check it ourselves. And we really aren't surprised by the results."
Founded in 1972, WCRC is a nonprofit citizen-based advocacy group working to keep Washington a leader in waste reduction, recycling and use of recycled products. One of WCRC's goals is to organize concerned Washington citizens to insist that manufacturers adopt producer responsibility practices via voluntary agreements or legislation.