Oh no!, It’s back! Leigh has posted this image of another skip full of computer packaging polystyrene. As we’ve discussed before, the recyclers won’t take it as is no good to them until is part of a closed loop (ie they know exactly what is in it), the reuse stream is choked (although I grabbed two bits for teaching!). That leaves reduction. There isn’t really a sensible alternative to polystyrene (with some room for development of extruded popcorn etc) and we do need to protect electronic equipment in transit.
I wonder what would be the consequences if we simply said to our suppliers “we’re not accepting the respsonsibility for this – you find an alternative, or you take it away”?
This is the approach we’re working towards: that we should be insisting that providers of this waste, also provide either less waste, no waste, or a reclaiming system. I’ve been ringing ’round though – no one I can find locally has actually been brave enough to do this. That’s perhaps a good enough reason to do it!
Computing for Sustainability 
dave
April 7, 2008
sorry Sam – we’re only big by Dunners standards. And the locl suppliers are the far flung poor cousins of their parent supplier.
On the scale of large companies, I’m afraid we’re just a SME. It will take a wallmart to force this kind of change.
Lobbying never hurt tho
leighblackall
April 14, 2008
are the ideas expressed in the comments to my flickr shot unrealistic?