Actors

Manufacturers/ Importers

In Switzerland, the producers carry the economic and physical responsibility of their products. By combining the economic and physical responsibilities, it is possible for the producers to control both costs of handling and recycling as well as the volume and quality of recycling. However, instead of setting up individual mechanisms, the manufacturers and importers have assigned their responsibility to the PROs SWICO and SENS. The manufacturers and importers, in turn, to participate in the system, must regularly report their sales figures and ARF to the PROs. The manufacturers have the freedom to organise a collection of only their products and bring it to the licensed recyclers, even while being a part of the SWICO system.

PRO

The PROs bear the operational responsibility of ensuring the proper management of e-waste, by organising the financing, collection, transport and control systems. Deciding the product categories that are covered, the amount of the ARF and the licensing of recyclers and logistics providers is also the task of the PROs. The PROs also liaise with the government to report the compliance of its members to the ORDEE.

Retailers

Retailers bear a part of the physical and informational responsibility of the product. The law applies a sale and representative rule in that, retailers are obligated to take back products in categories they have on sale, irrespective of whether the product was sold by them, or whether the consumer purchases a similar product as replacement. The retailers, who are not compensated for the collection, however, have the opportunity to re-sell as second hand, repair or use parts of the products they collect. The retailers are also responsible for clearly mentioning the amount of the ARF in the customer invoice. The amendment to the ORDEE, to come into force from January 2005, will make it obligatory for the retailer to take back discarded appliances for free. It will also make it obligatory for the retailer to display the price of the product inclusive of the ARF.

Consumers

It is the consumer's responsibility, and obligation by law, to return discarded appliances to retailers or designated collection points. Given the ease of returning the discard appliances for free at any electronics or electrical goods retailer, or at conveniently located collection points, the consumer has little incentive to shirk his/ her responsibility. Through the ARF on new product purchases, the consumer also bears the final financial responsibility for the post consumption phase of the product.

Recyclers

The recyclers have the responsibility to treat the e-waste in an environmentally sound manner and recover as much material value as possible, and try to eliminate, the quantity that goes to the incinerator or landfill. The dismantlers and recyclers sort the mixed e-waste into the various categories and invoice SWICO and SENS accordingly. The recyclers, on their part, must adhere to minimum standards on emissions and take adequate safety measures concerning employee health. In addition to the authorisation to operate a recycling facility from the cantonal government, recyclers are licensed by the PROs and need to maintain quality controls to keep their licence which is reviewed every two years.

Government

The government, at national, cantonal and local levels, is not involved in the day to day operations or financing of the system. In the role of an overseer, the federal government essentially frames the basic guidelines for the actors and places key legal responsibilities, giving the industry the flexibility to implement a feasible solution. The ORDEE does not even stipulate any targets or penalties, unlike most other directives which have targets for specific collection or recycling targets and penalties for non-compliance.

The cantonal governments in Switzerland have the authority to issue and cancel permits for recycling facilities. However, a recycler with a permit to operate still has to bid separately for SWICO and SENS recycling contracts. Thus, the role of the cantonal authorities is limited in this regard. On the local level, the municipal bodies can provide collection points, though they are not required to.

Refiner

As there are no raw material producers in Switzerland, the recyclate is shipped to smelters and raw material producers in other countries, such Sweden and Germany, where the final material recovery takes place. The raw material producers pay recyclers according to the quality of the fraction. Therefore, the recyclers have the incentive to improve their sorting and segregation operations. For example, a CRT screen recycler is able to get better prices for its glass cullets when the leaded front glass is separated from the unleaded neck glass.

Disposer

Final disposers, or landfill and incineration facilities, get only a very small fraction of the e-waste. The disposal of e-waste in landfills, as whole products, is banned. In addition, any fractional disposal that must be done, has to go to specially designed landfills for hazardous waste, which is extremely expensive. This is also why recyclers have the incentive to try and recover as much useful material from waste as possible, to lower their cost of final disposal.