Big computer companies, such as IBM, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Acer, have failed to fulfill pro-environment commitment due to their lack of action to recycle old products, a Hong Kong conservation group said Friday.

The group, named Friends of the Earth (HK) (FoE), recently asked the five PC companies' branches in Hong Kong about their take-back service, but were told by all that the service were not available in Hong Kong.

"FoE (HK) made enquiries to all the five companies and was given the same reply that there was no provision of take-back services in Hong Kong," said a press release issued by the group on Friday.

The customer officers at IBM and Acer said their companies would not take back the old computers even they were brought to the office, according to FoE's telephone enquiry result.

Hewlett-Packard states in their written reply that "HP in HK has a product take-back program in collecting used equipment from corporate customers since July 2003".

"It shows that these companies environmental commitments are merely cosmetic," Michelle Au, Environmental Affairs Officer at FoE (HK).

The public relations company for IBM told Xinhua they would make comments on the issue later.

Heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, cadmium and chromium etc., contained in the electronic waste have posed a great threat to the environmental and recycle measures have been urged by experts.

In Hong Kong, over 1.5 million pieces of electronic appliances, including old computers, are thrown away every year, according to data provided by FoE.

Around 500,000 pieces of the waste, 33 percent of the total, were missed by e-waste collectors and ended up in the landfills.

In 2004, it cost HK$ four million (about US$516,796) to clear the total of 18,433 tonnes of electronic waste disposed of at landfill in 2004.

The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is considering introducing mandatory producer responsibility schemes by the end of the year and target specific products like electronic waste the year after.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2006)