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The first step in the Swiss e-waste "wheel of life" takes place when buying new electric or electronic products. For any electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), no matter where or what consumers buy in Switzerland, they are charged an Advance Recycling Fee (ARF or also Advance Disposal Fee, ADF) which pays for all unprofitable processes required for a safe disposal at the end of its life.
An ARF on virtually everything operated with electrical power such as: consumer electronics / office , information and communication equipment / electric tools and toys / cooling appliances / lighting equipment including lamps and of course all kind of batteries...
The amount of ARF is defined by the type of the product and is included in its sales price and normally stated separately on the price tag and invoice. (more)
The introduction of the ARF allowed consumers to return retired equipment free of charge at all collection sites. There where earlier experiments with the payment at the time of return (a vignette systeme) but all other systems were given up for the ARF.
In the following, we will have a closer look at four examples:
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PC: In 2007, an ARF of CHF 9 (incl VAT) is charged to the consumer when buying a PC. You can find details on electronic appliances in a comprehensive list of SWICO's 2007 ARF here. |
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Refrigerator: The ARF for refrigerators ranges from CHF 15 for small cooling units up to CHF 90 for big commercial refrigerators. Please find a comprehensive list of SENS ' 2007 tariffs here. |
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Light-Bulb: Swiss Lighting Recycling Foundation (SLRS) is responsible for the management end of life lamps and luminiaries and is setting the ARF (see here). Currently SLRS uses the SENS system to handle the logistics for collection and data management. |
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Battery: Since 2001, consumers pay an ADF on batteries of up to 5kg. In 2007, the amount is CHF 3.20 per kilogramm of batteries and is included in the sales price. The amount of ARF for batteries and accumulators is regulated in the Annex on batteries to the Ordinance on the Reduction of Risks Linked to Chemical Products of 18 May 2005. |