Sircel CEO Anthony Karam warns of industry-wide risks associated with a potential new Federal government scheme to manage the e-recycling sector.

In a submission to a draft product stewardship scheme for small electrical and electronic equipment and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, Sircel warns creating competition to win contracts from Network Operators could create a “race to the bottom” scenario between recyclers forced to offer the cheapest rates rather than the best service.

In this Business Daily article, Anthony explains “Running a high-quality service at a low cost is almost mutually exclusive in the e-waste recycling sector as acquiring and running the technology, plant and equipment in a compliant and safe environment to address the problem at scale requires significant capital investment. Creating a sense of scarcity and uncertainty surrounding contracts could negatively impact the industry by stretching resources thin and impacting the service delivery.”