E-Waste

The Challenges of Electronic Waste:

E-waste is a serious problem that the world is facing due to the rapid increases in technology and speed at which this technology changes. E-waste can be both valuable as source for secondary raw material, and it is toxic and damaging to the environment if treated and discarded improperly. The rapid technology changes, low initial costs, as well as the upsetting standard of planned obsolescence have made this a serious problem that the world must deal with.

While it is mainly the industrialized nations speeding through new technologies and tossing out the old fridges, computers, CD players, monitors, radios, and Nintendos, disturbingly it is the poorer unindustrialized nations with lower environmental standards, fewer protections and worse working conditions that are being shipped the e-waste. Here they are processed and disposed of despite the Basel Convention, an international treaty which bans the transfer of such waste to other countries for disposal. These actions are largely illegal and China and India are large processors of such waste from the US and other nations.

Computer monitors and televisions are a major problem when they are illegal burned and disposed of or are dumped into landfills. They contain a cathode ray tube CRT, which can contain from 5-8 lbs of lead. The hazardous elements inside of computers are lead, silver, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and chromium, all substances which are known to cause serious human health risks and death.

What are Our Options?:

Changing the culture of consumption and the engineering pattern of planned obsolescence is something that should be instilled into industries and individuals alike. Consumers need to push their agendas with their dollars and buy products that last. We need to be outspoken that we aren’t willing to buy things that are made to fall apart. We need to support companies who are dedicated to these greener principles; that buy back old products or take them back for recycling purposes. As individuals we need to take a serious look at our patterns of consumption. How many computers, cars, phones, i-pods have we gone through in the last couple years? How did we dispose of them when they had served their function?

Over 97 percent of computer contents can be reused or recycled. It is important to think of these items as valuable, reusable, not just junk.

What Has Been Done?:

The United States Congress is considering a number of e-waste bills including the National Computer Recycling Act introduced by Congressman Mike Thompson, Democrat from California. This bill has continually stalled.

Several states including California have passed their own laws regarding e-waste. California was the first state to create the legislation, followed by Maryland, Maine, and Washington. In 2004, California introduced a fee on all new monitors and televisions sold to cover the cost of recycling. The amount of the fee depends on the size of the monitor. That amount was adjusted in July 2005 in order to match the real cost of recycling.

• Many companies will now refurbish and recycle electronic equipment to keep them out of landfills.

• Many manufacturers are dedicated to take-back programs for used e-products.

• Alternative materials that have no hazardous material (although they still create regular waste the goes into landfills) have been developed such as LCD panels and plasma screens.

• A number of non-profits and charities have been developed to refurbish old computers and electronics to be donated to schools and underprivileged children in need of the technology and equipment.

Look at what YOU have, what you will buy, and how you will get rid of the old stuff! What is your role in this cycle?