【Special Issues: Recycling System of Personal Computers in Japan】

Material Flow in PC Recycling

Toshinori Seki
NEC Corporation, Environmental Management Division
（7-1 Shiba 5-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8001 Japan）


Abstract
With the recent development of the information society in recent years, IT equipment has rapidly become widespread. In particular, personal computers have become indispensable items for corporations and in homes. As the number of PCs on the market increases, the number of end-of-life PCs is also expected to increase in near future.
Even in the past, every personal computer manufacturer has had to actively take part in the collection of IT equipment. Although certain areas of the recycling process for PCs still needs improvement, Japan's metal recycling infrastructure has been in place for quite some time allowing manufacturers to use it efficiently, and to recycle the used the product after take-back.
This paper summarizes present conditions（for recycling methods, recycling rates, etc.）, present problems, and future plans for PC recycling being conducted by all manufacturers.


Key words: recycle-based society, resource-recovery, reuse