Dell's recycling plans rubbished

Vendor's initiatives raise more questions than they answer, say sceptics

Dell will go head-to-head with the channel by launching a computer recycling scheme for European businesses by the end of the year.

However, some companies in the recycling industry have expressed scepticism about Dell's plans, saying the vendor's current initiatives raise more questions than they answer.

Bryant Hilton, a Dell representative, said: "We already offer our customers an informal service to dispose of old equipment.

"In future, although we have to comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment [WEEE] directive, we still want to give our customers the choice of how they want their old computer equipment dealt with."

All businesses will be responsible for certain phases of waste management of their products when WEEE becomes law in 2004.

Kevin Riches, managing director of computer equipment recycling company Technical Asset Management (TAM), said: "Dell's recycling scheme sounds a bit hotchpotch.

"Companies such as TAM, which has been recycling technical assets within the WEEE directive, are already doing this better than Dell in the UK and have done so for a number of years."