When a human dies, the only thing that lives on is his deeds. And his organs, if he had donated them. But can there be life after death for household appliances? ANIZA DAMIS visits the Panasonic Eco Technology Centre in Kato City, Japan, and finds there is meaning in death, even for machines

WHERE do old television sets go to die?

Now that you've bought that longed-for plasma TV, what do you do with the old set that's served you so well all through university and your first home?

In Japan, thanks to a sensible government environmental law, they don't just die; they are reincarnated.

Old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs are taken into a recycling centre and taken apart. Their CRT glass is recovered and sold to countries that still make such TVs.
Other parts are salvaged and reused in the manufacturing of other electrical and non-electrical products.

The end result: More than 80 per cent of the TV comes back to life in one form or another. .

But it's not just televisions that get a second-chance at life.

The Japanese government's Home Appliance Recycling Law also requires the mandatory recycling of used washing machines, air-conditioners and refrigerators.

The plastic that's recovered from a fridge can be mixed in with wood chips and made into planks. With a composition that's 70 per cent wood and 30 per cent plastic, the plank is as strong as a full-wood plank.

The law was enacted in June 1998 because it was difficult for municipalities to handle large-sized home appliances properly and because of a shortage in available landfills.

The law made it a must for users to send their end-of-life appliances for recycling, for the retailers to collect the appliances and deliver them to designated collection sites, and for manufacturers to take them to recycling plants, and recycle them.

The cost of recycling is partly borne by the consumer who pays for the recycling, collection and transportation of the appliances.

Recycling a TV is 2,835 yen (RM100), excluding collection and transportation costs, For an air-conditioner it is 3,150 yen, refrigerator 4,830 yen, and washing machine 2,520 yen, regardless of size.

The enforcement and imposition of this law in Japan is not softened by any government subsidy.

"The role of the government is to provide the necessary information on recycling, or imposing recommendation, order and penalty on the business entities that make improper claims," says the Japanese Environment Ministry's website.

So, the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, the company that makes products under the name Matsushita, Panasonic and National, had to fork out US$20 million to set up its recycling plant.

Manufacturers also had to develop recycling technologies for the four products.

Matsushita's Research and Development, for instance, had to research into the use of recycled raw materials in new products and into developing highly recyclable products.

For this, the Japanese government gave all the companies three years to prepare, with the enforcement deadline being April 2001.

In all, there are 50 companies, with a total 48 home appliances recycling plants, and 380 collection sites.

Further, the law requires that a minimum recycling rate be met -- 60 per cent of an air-conditioner had to be recovered, 55 per cent of TV, 50 per cent of a fridge, and 50 per cent of a washing machine.

As the fee paid by the consumer does not cover the full cost of recycling, the company can recover costs by recovering enough recyclable material for re-use in the making of its own products or sell to other manufacturers.

Because of this, the minimum recycling rate is not just law; it is an economic imperative.

Seven years on, the Panasonic centre recycles 82 per cent of the air-conditioner, 87 per cent of TV, 86 per cent of the fridge, and 73 per cent of the washing machine.

With the recycling fees covering 50 per cent of the cost, and the sale of recyclable products making up the other 50 per cent, Panasonic just about covers operational costs, says centre boss Kayuzuki Tomita.

"We are endeavouring to achieve a higher recycling rate and reduce the cost."

The writer's visit to the centre and other Panasonic sites was organised by Panasonic Malaysia.