One of the considerations of Green Procurement is the ability to recycle products or their component parts after use. Buying recycled products, or products containing recycled materials in the first place, can reduce the waste stream, improve sustainability and help support and develop the market for these products.

"Extended Producer Responsibility" is an emerging concept in which manufacturers assume some or all of the burden of recycling their products. The Product Policy Institute is a nonprofit research organization developing and supporting "cradle-to-cradle" policies and working to support local municipalities in their efforts to buy responsibly.

The California Product Stewardship Council has some excellent information on their site to help local governments incorporate concepts of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) into their policies, regulations and agreements.

Many manufacturers have instituted "take-back" policies for their products, although not all publicize their programs. The Montana Department of Environmental Qualiity has a good list on their web site . For another list of computer manufactuers who take back their products, visit www.epeat.net.

The EPA has developed Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for recycled materials and products, and their website has lots of information about specifications, available products and suppliers.

And finally, Share the Technology  is a non-profit organization that provides a method for distributing used computers from businesses and individuals to schools, nonprofit organizations, and people with disabilities   Any computers that are unfit for reuse are sent to computer recycling organizations.