Orientation of proposal

Hardware and network equipment has a particularly short lifetime, which should be called into question and still more effective recycling procedures should be set up.

As for the waste produced by information technologies, it should be systematically recycled. When possible, this recycling could provide the opportunity for setting up training for young persons leading to qualifications (cf. the "Computers for schools in Quebec" and certain French social integration companies).

Context

The change from the industrial to the information era does not solve the problem of pollution. Proportionally, information certainly creates less waste than the primary and secondary sectors, though now some countries find themselves faced with the problem of waste materials linked to information technologies. Thus, in Canada, in 1999, more than 30,000 tonnes were produced and forecasts of waste exceed 70,000 for 2058. Furthermore, some of these waste products are dangerous (for example : the heavy metals contained in printed circuit boards, soluble lead oxide in cathode ray tubes).

As the renewal rate of all products linked with multimedia continues to increase, this question will become primordial. At present, these waste products are often stocked as companies hesitate to throw away expensive materials.