Take Back System

INTRODUCTION

Consumers have the power to buy, but due to this the world is deteriorating. Each time something is bought, another is being thrown away. Sometimes the discarded product is still functioning, but replaced for latest trends and technologies. Most of the time, the product is discarded because it has reach its end of life (EOL). Disposal of such items as packaging, automobiles and electronics in large quantities is seen as a problem since most countries have ran out of landfill areas.

A lot of countries have taken measures to counter this problem. Increased environmental awareness is contributing to new government regulatory measures that address disposal of consumer products. Governments are implementing a concept called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which places the responsibility of disposal of the product on the producer. The most direct form of EPR implementation is take-back legislation.

Take-back legislation holds manufacturers responsible for environmentally safe treatment of their products when they return at the end of their life. Under such extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation, manufacturers are required to provide a system or financial means of collecting and processing the waste stream of used products to control environmental pollution (Atasu et. al, 2009). A take-back system extends the producer’s responsibility for the product beyond manufacturing to post-consumer disposal. Thus, the producer is encouraged to design a product which is easier to dispose of by environmentally preferable methods. Producers are targeted because they have considerable influence over the design process.

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Figure 1: Product life cycle and end-of-life decisions (Y. Zhao, 2011)

Sustainability, which is defined by the Brundtland Commission as “…to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, is a condition that we as earth occupant...