Televisions and monitors are another major cause of concern, primarily because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to auction off the analog part of the television spectrum in 2009. "This means people will have to get analog-to-digital converter boxes for their TVs, or they'll be putting their old TVs out by the curb," says Lloyd Hicks, waste prevention program advisor at INFORM, Inc., an environmental research organization in New York City. "We need to have recycling plans in place before then."
Just to give you an idea of Americans' love affair with TV: they purchased 2.5 million new TV sets just to watch the 2007 Super Bowl, up from 1.7 million the previous January, says the National Retail Federation, based in Washington, D.C. The flurry of new flat-screen LCD and plasma televisions has raised concern about toxins used in their production as well as what will happen to the televisions being replaced. "We've really struggled with understanding what TV makers are doing about take-back," says Alexandra McPherson, project director for Clean Production Action (CPA), a Spring Brook, N.Y., nonprofit that promotes the use of products free of poisonous materials.
The EPA acknowledges that toxins in electronics are a problem, but says there's no need to panic–at least, not yet. "We all feel that it is not an environmental crisis," says Clare Lindsay, project director for the EPA Office of Solid Waste's extended product responsibility program. "The presence of some toxic materials does not create a crisis. We believe that landfills can safely manage most of these waste products. Is it the best idea? No, the better way is recycling. But we haven't seen any contamination of ground water associated with electronics discarded in landfills."
She says there has been "enormous progress'' over the past five years in raising consumer awareness about the benefits of recycling over simply junking unwanted electronics. Manufacturers are also beginning to understand that if they avoid using toxic materials, their products will be much easier to recycle or trash.
"Arguably, the responsibility for recycling is more at the front end of the manufacturing process than at the back-end disposal," Lindsay says. "Everyone recognizes that reusing, refurbishing and upgrading older electronics is better for the environment. Recycling is better than simply throwing something out, but reselling and refurbishing is even better."
One of the biggest problems with used computers, though, is that it is often cheaper to buy a new one with the latest software and technology than to refurbish an aging machine.
Less than 20 percent of electronic devices discarded between 2003 and 2005 were sent to recycling facilities; the rest were dumped and mostly ended up in landfills. In 2005 about 61 percent (107,500 tons) of cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors and televisions collected for recycling were exported outside the U.S. for remanufacture or refurbishment, the EPA says. That same year, about 24,000 tons of CRT glass—which is filled with lead to protect viewers from the x-rays produced by the monitor—was sold to markets abroad to replace damaged CRTs in various countries, and North American waste and recycling companies recovered about 10,000 tons of lead (meaning it was not placed into landfills or incinerated).
An added benefit of recycling electronic materials—be they copper, lead or silicon—is that we will not have to mine as much from the earth, says Bob Dellinger, the EPA Office of Solid Waste's director of hazardous waste identification. "In essence, recycling stretches the raw materials we have available," he says. A lot of energy is wasted in the mining and refining of raw materials. For example, only 4 percent of copper ore is usable, the rest is waste.
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7 Comments
Add CommentI work for a company in Janesville, Wisconsin that deals with the recycling of CRT Class, PC's, LCD's, and other general electronics. It amazes me to see the amount of "stuff" that comes through here on a daily basis. I'm the Data Security Manager at this facility I run the PC department on a daily basis we dismantle roughly 200 PC's. On a daily basis we repair roughly 80 older PC's for resale. We process thousands of pounds of glass from CRT monitors daily. We average over 30,000+ pounds of general electronics daily for processing. If you add all that up you're looking at unbelievable numbers, and that number is growing exponentially. Before working here I never would have imagined that e-waste was this bad but we are facing a serious problem here. Its great to see companies that are stepping up and setting an example but its going to take allot more than that if you don't believe me look up a local e-waste facility and go take a tour. We need to get a hold on this problem and fast!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGreat article. Companies should stop caring so much for selling millions, and start caring more about the consequences of their products. Before overwhelming the market with cool new gadgets, and bombing consumers with their marketing strategies, they should take seriously their responsibility with e-waste and the environment. This article is very illuminating.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for your comments on the story. It's a topic I'll continue to address as new developments unfold.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRemoving these components from our "back yard", exporting them to countries where the environmental laws are more lax is not the answer. We the developed countries who produce, use and profit from these products must first clean up the mess of our past mistakes and at the same time move toward "greener" IT.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMoving our IT wast off site onto another country where the environmental laws are lax is not a responsible answer to our problem. We need to handle these problems with all due respect to all the nations an people. Then we must move to greener technologies. We must think in radical ways with materials before ignored or politically discredited. Plastics can be replaced with more earth friendly biodegradable materials that have been around for EVER, but who's genetic family makes it a political "hot potato." We need to touch this "third rail" in material science and develop this material to its best degree and move from there to get even better stronger materials that are earth friendly. This is most "DO-able. " If we can just wrestle the chemistry sets away from the oil kids who think they have all the power and all the answers. Well their power is finite and their answer is: more, more, more. It's time to make them play nice with the rest of the world or else get out of the way
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhere do old mobiles and computers go to die? Read about it in the latest National Geographic - it's absolutely hideous. Out of sight is out of mind. No local municipality wants it all at the local tip - so it disappears.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisE waste is actually poisoning children before being swept out to sea. It then forms an island that is expanding with every piece of outdated gear that gets trashed.
I've never owned a mobile phone and I have lived without a computer or electricity quite happily. How many millions of other people out there will be virtually robbed of their identity and means of survival if and when the plug does finally fall out? We may yet be forced to transcend the machine age. What will you do?
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Edited by sculptmud at 01/25/2008 1:02 AM