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Europe's Laws Seek for Better Environment

Turning Tech Green in Europe

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 01/20/2005 | 03:46 AM ]

The problem of clean environment has been recognized. Governments are beginning to think more and more about future. While billion tons of products are been produced every year, billion tons of waste are been stored as well. Among those wastes there are a lot of toxic computer parts, such as old battery. In order to reduce the amount of toxic and dangerous garbage European Union is going to establish new environmental rules.

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”The global electronics industry is facing turmoil from new ecological rules in Europe. Two directives from the European Union that strictly limit the use of toxic chemicals in electronics products and require high-tech manufacturers to pay for collecting and recycling used goods are set to go into effect over the next 18 months,” says BusinessWeek’s article.

This year and next, two new EU environmental rules will cause manufacturers to change their ways and it could be quite costly.

“The motivation behind the regulations is simple. Though electronics products now account for only about 4% of the 2 billion tons of waste discarded every year by Europeans, the amount is growing two to three times faster than any other category, according to EU figures. Europe is especially concerned about landfills because its population density is nearly 70% greater than that of the U.S., so less space is available for garbage.”