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Recycling electronics:
Industry's responsibility
If you're like many consumers, you have an old computer, cell phone, or other electronic product that you no longer need.
Perhaps you are waiting to find a new home for it or to dispose of it safely. The toxic ingredients in electronic waste, as
well as its sheer volume, put a heavy burden on local waste-disposal systems and ultimately the environment.
As the amount of electronic equipment has proliferated, the period of use before replacement of many products has dwindled
to a few years. The result: a rising tide of waste sent to local landfills and often exported to developing countries where
dismantling and disposal services are less expensive and more polluting.
Electronic waste contains a number of toxins, including lead, cadmium, and brominated flame retardant. A projected 315 million
computers now headed for the trash heap will add up to more than a billion pounds of lead that could leach into groundwater
from landfills or pollute the air if incinerated.
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a nonprofit environmental group in San Jose, Calif., estimates that without legislation
shifting the burden to manufacturers, it will cost governments and taxpayers some $7.5 billion over the next decade or so
to collect and process old TVs and computer equipment.
In the several states that have banned computers and TVs from their landfills, many municipalities are charging consumers
to collect computers for recycling.
A Patchwork of options
Maine is the first state in the nation to follow the European Union, Japan, and several other countries in shifting the costs
and responsibility for computer recycling to manufacturers, in effect, forcing them to incorporate the cost into the price
of a new machine. In 2006, computer and TV makers will be required to establish regional collection centers in Maine and pay
the cost of recycling used equipment.
California consumers will pay a $6 to $10 up-front recycling fee on every purchase to fund a similar system. But as long as
consumers or taxpayers foot the bill directly, manufacturers will have no incentive to design less toxic, more-durable products
or use recycled materials.
A few retailers have limited-time offers and incentives to recycle computer equipment. But those voluntary programs reach
consumers only near participating stores, and they're scheduled sporadically.
Some computer makers offer free recycling--but only when you buy one of their new machines. Some others charge consumers to
recycle a monitor and CPU. But consumer participation is largely a function of the cost and convenience of such programs,
so a lot of old computers are apt to remain in attics and basements.
Consumers Union supports mandatory take-back programs that hold manufacturers physically and financially responsible for recycling
their products. Until such a system is implemented nationally, consumers will have to sort through a patchwork of existing
recycling options.
CU is planning two projects that will promote strategies to reduce electronic waste and improved options for recycling and
reuse. In fall 2004, with funding from the Ford Foundation, we are launching HearUsNow.org, an online resource center to promote
changes in telecommunications services that, among other things, would help consumers keep their cell phones when they change
service providers. For 2005, with funding from the Surdna Foundation, we are developing a new area at this site that will
feature advice to help consumers reduce the environmental effects of their purchasing decisions. Look for details in future
reports.
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Combustible TV
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