RECYCLING OLD ELECTRONICS 

Ways you can cut down on e-waste
Recycling Electronics
Recycling Facts and Figures
When Your Computer Becomes Toxic Trash
Information on E-Cyclingon the Internet

See also our General Site on Recycling

Studies estimate that 315 to 600 million desktop and laptop computers in the U.S. will soon be obsolete. Discarded computers and other consumer electronics (so called e-waste) are the fastest growing portion of our waste stream -- growing almost 3 times faster than our overall municipal waste stream. One report estimates that a pile of these obsolete computers would reach a mile high and cover six acres. That's the same as a 22-story pile of e-waste covering the entire 472 square miles of the City of Los Angeles. http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/index.cfm

Electronic waste already constitutes from 2% to 5% of the US municipal solid waste stream and is growing rapidly. European studies estimate that the volume of electronic waste is rising by 3% to 5% per year - almost three times faster than the municipal waste stream. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 1997 more than 3.2 million tons of E-waste ended up in US landfills. In a report for the EPA, analysts warned that the amount of E-waste in US landfills would grow fourfold in the next few years.

Over the last several years, no product so epitomizes the problems posed by obsolete electronics as the personal computer. Televisions with cathode ray tubes present the same problems. http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/ppcsttvs2004.cfm. The National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org/ehc/epr2/baseline.htm ) projects that nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years and mobile phones will be discarded at a rate of 130 million per year by 2005. e-Cycling is reusing or recycling of these consumer electronics.

Rapid advances in technology come with a price: the equally rapid pace of obsolescence. The average lifespan of a computer, for example, will have dropped from 4.5 years in 1992 to approximately two years by 2005. As a result, "e-waste"—discarded computers, TVs, cell phones, and other electronics—comprises one to four percent of the municipal solid waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. What's worse, this equipment is often made from non-renewable resources and contains hazardous chemicals including lead, chromium, cadmium, and mercury.

TO CUT DOWN ON E-WASTE

Buying

• Before you buy replacement technology, assess your current equipment. Can you improve your computer's performance with a memory or video card upgrade? Do you need a cell phone with all the newest features when your old one works just fine? Is it worth buying a new portable CD player if you eventually want an MP3 player?
• Choose a product that has all the features you will need for the foreseeable future, has space to add components such as memory if needed, or takes the place of two separate gadgets (for example, you could consolidate equipment by buying a cell phone with integrated personal organizer, or a printer with integrated scanner or fax).
• Purchase used or refurbished electronics (but be aware that these products might not come with a warranty).

Reusing

• Before discarding obsolete electronics, find out whether a local repair shop, electronics training program, or even a technologically inclined friend or family member could use it for parts or practice.
• Consider donating used electronics to a nonprofit organization or school. Some organizations, for example, reprogram used cell phones for emergency use by senior citizens or victims of domestic violence. Computers that are less than five years old should be donated through an electronics refurbisher (see the link below), who will clean out old files and software and ensure all of the components are running properly. Computers that are more than five years old should be recycled, since software and technical support for older systems is difficult to find.

Recycling

• General electronics: Many cities and towns now offer electronics recycling as part of their household hazardous waste collection program. Contact your local public works department to find out what equipment it will accept and on what days; some charge a small fee per item.
• Computers: If your town does not accept computers, look for a commercial recycler that can break down and distribute usable components and dispose of the rest properly (see the links below).

Cell phones: Many cell phone manufacturers and service providers will take back used phones for reuse or recycling.

RECYCLING ELECTRONICS

Recycling is a series of activities that includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, and manufacturing raw materials into new products.
Collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recycled-content products, and then purchasing recycled products creates a circle or loop that ensures the overall success and value of recycling.

Step 1. Collection and Processing
Collecting recyclables varies from community to community, but there are four primary methods: curbside, drop-off centers, buy-back centers, and deposit/refund programs.

Regardless of the method used to collect the recyclables, the next leg of their journey is usually the same. Recyclables are sent to a materials recovery facility to be sorted and prepared into marketable commodities for manufacturing. Recyclables are bought and sold just like any other commodity, and prices for the materials change and fluctuate with the market.

Step 2. Manufacturing
Once cleaned and separated, the recyclables are ready to undergo the second part of the recycling loop. More and more of today's products are being manufactured with total or partial recycled content. Common household items that contain recycled materials include newspapers and paper towels; aluminum, plastic, and glass soft drink containers; steel cans; and plastic laundry detergent bottles. Recycled materials also are used in innovative applications such as recovered glass in roadway asphalt (glassphalt) or recovered plastic in carpeting, park benches, and pedestrian bridges.

Step 3. Purchasing Recycled Products
Purchasing recycled products completes the recycling loop. By "buying recycled," governments, as well as businesses and individual consumers, each play an important role in making the recycling process a success. As consumers demand more environmentally sound products, manufacturers will continue to meet that demand by producing high-quality recycled products. Click here to learn more about recycling terminology and to find tips on identifying recycled products.

RECYLING FACTS AND FIGURES

• In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 28 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
• While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 42 percent of all paper, 40 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 55 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 57 percent of all steel packaging, and 52 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
• Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 1998, 9,000 curbside programs and 12,000 recyclable drop-off centers had sprouted up across the nation. As of 1999, 480 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.

For recycling to work, everyone has to participate in each phase of the loop. From government and industry, to organizations, small businesses, and people at home, every American can make recycling a part of their daily routine. Below are some ways in which businesses, local governments, and citizens can get involved:

WHEN YOUR COMPUTER BECOMES TOXIC TRASH

With more and more people getting “wired” everyday, electronics has become the world's fastest-growing manufacturing industry. While computers enable us to access and retain more information than ever before, we may not realize that each of these machines is also a toxics trap. Tiny semiconductors require more material inputs than most traditional goods. Workers in the “clean rooms” where the chips are made are exposed to a host of chemicals that have been linked to cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects. And these facilities generate huge volumes of chemical waste, contaminating groundwater at many high-tech sites.

Moreover, as we replace our old computers with the latest models, we're contributing to a mounting global problem: electronic waste. Despite an international ban on trade in hazardous waste, many old computers from the United States and other industrial countries make their way to “recycling” facilities in Asia and elsewhere. Investigations reveal that these facilities expose workers and the environment to a slew of deadly toxins that can cause damage to the central nervous system, endocrine disruption, interference with brain development, and organ damage.

Send a letter to electronics companies urging them to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products. Learn more at www.computertakeback.com.

Don't just throw your old electronics in the trash! Several manufacturers now take back old electronics for a small fee. Find out where you can send your old computers, cell phones, batteries, and other parts. At the same time, urge manufacturers to dispose of these products responsibly and not ship them to countries where they harm workers and the environment.

INFORMATION ON E-CYCLING ON THE INTERNET

Basel Action Network http://www.ban.org is an international network of activists that works to oppose the trade in toxic wastes and technologies from rich to poor countries.

Computer Recycling Center http:// www.crc.org Promotes the reuse of computer and electronics equipment, and the recycling of unusable elements.

Computer Take Back Campaign http://www.computertakeback.com is working to make computer producers responsible for the safe design, manufacturing, and recycling of their equipment. Studies estimate that 315 to 600 million desktop and laptop computers in the U.S. will soon be obsolete. Discarded computers and other consumer electronics (so called e-waste) are the fastest growing portion of our waste stream -- growing almost 3 times faster than our overall municipal waste stream. One report estimates that a pile of these obsolete computers would reach a mile high and cover six acres. That's the same as a 22-story pile of e-waste covering the entire 472 square miles of the City of Los Angeles.

Electronic Industries Alliance —Cell Phone Recycling and Donation Programs
http://www.eiae.org/whatsnew/news.cfm?ID=100. National Database of Reuse and Recycling Programs http://www.eiae.org

Electronic Industries Alliance , National Database of Reuse and Recycling Programs. The Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) is a program developed by the Environmental Issues Council of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Its purpose is to inform consumers about recycling and reuse opportunities for used electronics. http://www.eiae.org/index.cfm.

Electronics Recycling http:// www.electronicsrecycling.org Electronics Recycling offers a wealth of recycling/reuse information representing all industry work groups (e.g., collection, Demanufacturing, refurbishment/resell, research, recycling). It also provides guidance to households and organizations for promoting recycling and reuse efforts.
Electronics Recycling is is a part of the GreenOnline Initiative and is designed to be the industry leader in ER traffic.

EPA—Computer Take Back Optionshttp://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/epr/products/computers.html

EPA—ECycling http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/ Plug-In To eCycling http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/index.htm Plug-In To eCycling is a consumer electronics campaign working to increase the number of electronic devices collected and safely recycled in the United States. It is one component of EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/) a national effort to find flexible, yet more protective ways to conserve our valuable resources. Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronic Products?
Donation Programs
Recycling Programs
Ongoing National Reuse and Recycling Opportunities
Manufacturer Asset Recovery, Trade-In, and Leasing Programs

European Environment Bureau 's “Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment” website http://www.eeb.org/activities/waste/weee.htm provides background on regional efforts to address the environmental impacts of computers and other electronics.

Federal Electronics Challengehttp://www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/index.htm Used and obsolete electronics, such as computers, printers, mobile phones, and fax machines, are part of an increasing and complex waste stream that poses challenging environmental management problems for federal facilities. Electronic products contain a variety of hazardous constituents. Cathode ray tubes, circuit boards, batteries, and other electronic components often contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

High Tech Goes Green http://www.futurenet.org/article.asp?id=596

MAR Refurbishers https://www.techsoup.org/mar/mars.asp Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher Donation Program, Supplying Microsoft Windows OS to U.S. nonprofit & school computer refurbishers

Materials for the Future Foundationhttp://www.materials4future.org/ The Materials for the Future Foundation has done extensive work on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing of electronics and the unique electronics recycling infrastructure issues facing California cities and local governments.

National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/clean/nepsi/ EPA created NEPSI to bring stakeholders together to develop solutions to the issues surrounding electronic projects waste reduction. NEPSI consists of approximately 45 members who represent a wide stakeholder base from federal, state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, and environmental groups.

Recycler's World http:// www.recycle.net/recycle/computer. Lists several categories of technology recycling, including computers, printer cartridges and telephone equipment, with links to companies, associations and publications related to each specific category.

Recycling Resources http://www.cio.com/archive/041503/tl_resources.html

Share the Technology http:// www.sharetechnology.org Connects potential donors and recipients, providing state-by-state listings of those looking for or looking to discard technology.

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition http://www.svtc.org A new report released August 17, 2005 documents for the first time the extent of toxic contamination from obsolete computers, televisions, and other gadgets that have been shipped overseas by U.S. recyclers.

Ten Tips for Donating a Computer http://www.techsoup.org/products/recycle/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=524