Background The waste generated by the personal computing sector represents four percent of the total volume of municipal waste produced in Catalonia. PC waste is forecast to grow by 16–28 percent every five years. Currently, most of this waste is accumulated in dumps. The uncontrolled disposal of these harmful computer components, without prior treatment, generates long term damaging environmental effects. The project will address the problem of the current lack of a viable procedure for recycling computer components and electronic accessories, once they have reached the end of their life cycle or become obsolete. It is necessary to develop and implement methods and facilities for effective management, treatment and/or recycling of IT products, that will involve the whole population and the IT equipment manufacturers themselves. Objectives The technical processes used by PC NEWS simultaneously aim at minimising waste production at source, thus avoiding negative health and environmental effects, and at recycling materials for subsequent reassembly as useful products, thus minimising environmental impacts and generating economic benefits. The objective was to introduce a technological process that would permit, over a two year period, recycling of approximately 3000 PCs (as well as IT materials and electronic accessories). New machines were to be manufactured from the various useful components retrieved by the process, and distributed free to social organisations. The specific objectives were as follows: - To apply the Community ‘3 Rs’ policy: reduce, reuse and recycle problematic waste and materials, in order to avoid the uncontrolled accumulation in rubbish dumps of materials that are harmful to the environment. - To apply integrated waste management methods. - To provide underprivileged social organisations access to new computer technology. - To increase the life-cycle of IT equipment and materials and to save resources. - To create stable employment for 38 people and to foster the establishment of future recycling companies in an expanding market. Results This demonstration project involved the selection and recovery of obsolete computers and IT equipment from administrative bodies, companies and private individuals. The machines were repaired and equipped with recycled components. They were then distributed free to social groups in most need of them (non-profit organisations, primary schools, charities, etc.). The main activities undertaken included: - Design and structuring of the technical process, involving the definition of the technical and economic requirements (from the collection of used material to the distribution of rebuilt machines and disposal of unusable parts) - Setting up and structuring of the different centres (donors, collecting centres and work centres) - Selection, collection and classification of the obsolete computer equipment and accessories; repair of useful components and assembly of new machines; recycling and disposal of the unusable components and materials in accordance with the environmental European and national regulations. - Monitoring of the technical process, leading to the development of a set of quality standards for validation of the production processes; elaboration of Technical Procedures Protocol based on environmental, quality and health and safety regulations, to be used by all the centres involved. - Project dissemination: information campaigns encouraging company and citizen participation in the sustainable management of resources. The following results were achieved: The global objectives (environmental, economical, occupational and social) were achieved. From a technical point of view, the project was successful. The general objective of introducing a technological process to recycle PCs (as well as IT materials and electronic accessories) was achieved. This was done in two years through the application of integrated waste management methods, distributing the new machines for free to social organisations. However, the initial objective of recycling and distributing 3000 computers during the project duration was not reached, mainly due to an inappropriate initial collection strategy. 2373 computers, 2030 monitors and 1022 other items (scanners, printers, etc.) were collected, from which 669 computers were produced and donated. A technical process based on internationally agreed quality standards was developed. The dismantling and subsequent recycling was done with strict quality control that enabled clean new products to be produced, minimising effluent discharge and preventing pollution at source. A reduction in environmental impact was also achieved through waste management methods, the disposal of unusable parts, separating them and negotiating their treatment by authorised waste managers. Mechanisms controlling directly the use and disposal of these harmful materials were established, with consequent generation of economic and environmental benefits. In particular the energy consumption and the environmental costs of the technical process are very low given that it depends on manual labour, using recycled material resources that would have otherwise gone to waste. During the project, national and international publicity and information campaigns were developed. These were aimed at companies, administrative authorities, non profit organisations and private individuals. The public and manufacturers of computer hardware were also made aware of the need to move towards sustainable production processes. Contact was established with 1153 companies out of which 137 became direct collaborators with the project. The project lasted for two years, involving 13 municipalities and two business federations in parallel, thus embracing almost all of Cataluña. The managing bodies worked in a co-ordinated manner in order to optimise resources and take advantage of synergies. The beneficiary presented the project and distributed a brochure in Catalan and English in towns participating in the project. Educational visits and experience exchanges - two in Berlin (ECO PC project and FLECTION) and one in Seville, Spain (Eco-Pc/ADAPT-PYME) – took place during the project. Around 30 jobs in the environmental sector were created. The creation of waste management companies specialising in electronics was also stimulated (for example, a former project worker has established a company and will carry on recycling computers). In Vilanova the company SPIN, a computer company partner of the project, has opened a new line of recycling activities. Through the free delivery of computers, the project played a social role, providing social organisations (mostly public schools and NGOs) with computer hardware and giving access to new technologies to those that would otherwise be excluded from the information society. This social objective is perfectly transferable. PC NEWS is a pioneering project with a high potential for transfer to other regions or countries, since the problem of computer waste is common to all industrialised countries. The project developed a treatment process based on a standardised and regulated protocol for materials (IT equipment) that are currently found throughout the world. It can be implemented in any other geographical areas where there is extensive computer ownership, an effective communications network permitting the exchange and transport of machinery, and an adequate disposal system.