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More than 250 million computers in the U.S. may become obsolete in the next five years, and those machines, along with televisions, VCRs & cell phones are flooding the nation’s landfills. As a result, substances such as lead, mercury, chromium and cadmium are seeping into the environment.
Discarded electronic equipment is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the industrialized world and has become a national and international concern as the volume of e-waste continues to grow. Without effective phase-outs of hazardous chemicals and the development of effective collection, reuse and recycling systems, highly toxic chemicals found in e-waste will continue to contaminate soil and groundwater.
E-waste statistics you should know:- Over 63 million tons of computer equipment will be taken out of service next year, and 85% of them will end up in the landfills (National Safety Council, 2001).
- Over 50% of computers being recycled are in good working order (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, 2001).
- Five hundred million computers in the world contain 6.32 billion pounds of plastic, 1.58 billion pounds of lead and 632,000 pounds of mercury (Basel Action Network, 2002).
- Only 12.75 million computers will be recycled in the U.S. this year (Basel Action Network, 2002).
Policies, programs and initiatives are being planned and introduced at
an accelerating rate
as governments grapple with environmental challenges presented by the
growing volume
of e-waste. The California legislature recently introduced a bill that
placed the
responsibility for scrap electronic products with the manufacturer. Another
piece of
electronics legislation (Senate Bill 1523) requires that monies be collected
at the point of
sale for the handling of obsolete CRTs and televisions. California Gov.
Grey Davis
recently vetoed that bill.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now plans to change its
rules to
encourge reuse and recycling of e-waste. The Electronics Take It Back
campaign in
Washington D.C. supports an initiative to make brand name manufacturers
of electronic
equipment financially responsible for their products when they become
obsolete. This
guiding principal called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will create
a powerful
incentive for manufacturers of electronics to design products that are
clean, safe, durable,
reusable, repairable, upgradeable and easy to recycle.
So, what should you do about the problem? A couple of things:
- For now: Don’t dump your old computer in a dump, or stick it in your garbage.
- For the future: Support an effort by state and federal governments to find a nationwide program for dealing with the safe disposal of e-waste.
Here are a few options for your obsolete electronic equipment!
- Donate your computer for reuse to a non-profit or charitable organization.
- Sell or donate your computer to a company for reuse if it is in good working condition.
- Recycle through a manufacturer. IBM, Del, Hewlett Packard, Gateway & Micron will take your old computer for a small fee.
- Take the computer to any landfill or the Transfer Station at 1120 Madison Lane in Salinas. They will accept any computer system or monitor of any age for no charge. CRT’s 21 inches and under will be accepted for a fee of $10 and equipment over 21 inches will be $20. Keyboards and CPUs will be accepted for $1. The computers that are collected are refurbished and donated to area families who could not otherwise afford a computer,
E-waste is expected to grow with the profusion of DVDs, pagers, cell
phones, microwave and copiers with shorter life-spans that are yet to
hit store shelves. So be a friend to the environment and dispose of e-waste
responsibly. If you would like additional information regarding electronic
waste call the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority at 831-755-1300.