OT: Electronics recycling: what actually happens?

[S Viemeister]

I've kept one to use with the design computer for my knitting machine.

[GMM]

I bet someone would recycle it from outside my house within the hour. The pikeys round here will take anything that's not bolted down...

[alan]

Along with the contents of the bottle banks and paper mountains it all goes into landfill.

[Part Timer]

The coverage of the Oscars on beeb news recently even made my mum comment about how dire the feeds from inside the venue looked compared to the reporter in the street through a UK camera. That was standard definition Freeview.

[SteveW]

We too still have a CRT as our main TV. It was a deliberate choice, as most flat-screens are too easily damaged and we have young kids. They are now getting old enough that we may soon change to a flat-screen, which will also allow us to go a little larger.

SteveW

[meow2222]

I'd offer it again on freecycle, freegle, etc. Some items aren't worth the travel for their value of course. Anything that works properly and is retai lable you may find a charity shop in town that does electricals. If all els e fails, bin bag what's small enough.

NT

[Frank Erskine]

On account of poorer eyesight?

[Bert Coules]

I have now had one Freegle response but that was from a retailer who sells electronic components, so presumably he would strip down the units for saleable bits and pieces. While I accept that there's time and effort and expertise involved and that it's reasonable for that to be rewarded, I can't help but feel that there's something slightly wrong in giving the stuff away to someone who will make money out of it. Probably a foolish and naive attitude, but there you are.

[Scion]

Bert Coules put finger to keyboard:

Better that than throw it away.

[The Natural Philosopher]

what an extraordinarily ignorant thing to think?

the concept of 'value added' doesn't seem to have percolated into what passes for a mind.

well yes. I mean sand is fee, and so is oil., and metals . All sitting there under the ground. Why should I pay someone to turn it into a computer?

I blame it all on this 'wind is free so renewable energy should be cheap' bollocks.

[John Williamson]

Better than being *charged* to throw it away, which is probably coming soon to a recycling centre near you.

[Bert Coules]

Perhaps, though it does depend > what an extraordinarily ignorant thing to think?

Possibly, though not perhaps quite as ignorant as the mis-use of > Better than being *charged* to throw it away, which is probably

It could also be argued that since the dealer is willing to collect the gear from my home, he would be saving me both the time and the expense of taking it to the tip myself.

[Cod Roe]

Though certain key things are most noticeable by their absence.

[Bert Coules]

Fascinating, thanks.

[meow2222]

If someone will take it all, problem solved, you've been lucky. I cant imagine any parts being retailable.

NT

[Bert Coules]

On reflection, I agree. Thanks for the thought.

[whisky-dave]

Does seem strange.

I've nver understood that term especaily with Value Added Tax. So a supplier thinks their product is worth £10, so the goverment decide s it's more valuble so put the price up to £12 taking the £2 . How does that make the product more valuable ?

[Andy Champ]

it's more valuble so put the price up to £12 taking the £2 . How does that make the product more valuable ?

That's not how it works.

Suppose I buy a product from the manufacturer at 10quid, plus VAT - that's 12 total. I then sell it to someone for 20 quid, plus VAT - 24 total. The VAT I pay is on the value I added to the product.

Andy

[polygonum]

But that does not necessarily reflect any real increase in value.

Two vendors offering identical product - one at 10, another at 20. The person who buys at 20 is being taxed not on any inherent value of the product but on ignorance of the 10 vendor.

Obviously, a retailer does on some sense add value - by splitting packs and selling in sensible quantities, guarantees, warm shops, etc. But if both vendors are offering the same thing but only the price varies...

[docholliday93]

ecides it's more valuble so put the price up to £12 taking the £2 . How does that make the product more valuable ?

By 'pay' I'm assuming that you mean 'charge the customer than pay to HMRC'. Of course it gets more complicated because in fact you charge the customer £4 VAT on the total, and you have already paid your supplier £2 in VAT so you end up paying HMRC another £2 (ignoring most of the accounting com plications...)