Determining Environmental Costs: A Challenge in A Governmental E-Waste Recycling Scheme

Chii-pwu Cheng, Chun-hsu Lin, Lih-chyi Wen and Tien-chin Chang
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Chii-pwu Cheng: Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Chun-hsu Lin: Center for Green Economy, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Lih-chyi Wen: Center for Green Economy, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Tien-chin Chang: Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept involves having producers take environmental responsibility for post-consumer products. Based on this principle, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive of the European Union, enacted in 2006, is the most representative management program in the world and the most popular recycling policy many countries follow. Taiwan’s version of EPR for WEEE recycling, set up in 1998, had a focus on recycling fees determined by a recycling fee equation. Nowadays, the equation takes into account the consideration of the environment in the designs of products, in addition to the cost needed for recycling. The environmental performance upgrades in products, encouraged by the financial incentives from these considerations, is a side-benefit of this program. In this paper, the functions of the recycling fee equation that consider environmental costs are reviewed. It was found that in spite of the difficulty in determining the real environmental costs in practice, pricing is a mechanism which helps us to consider the cost of e-waste recycling, not only in terms of labor and administration, but also environmental quality.

Keywords: producer responsibility; environmental cost; e-waste; recycling scheme (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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