Newsmaker: High tech: Anything but green

(continued from previous page)

Do you think that the government should have a role in setting standards?
Grossman: I do. It seems pretty clear that without some kind of regulation or some kind of penalty or incentive, the voluntary program is just not good enough. There is just too much stuff that could slip through the cracks.

More than a year ago, a California Democrat, Rep. Mike Thompson, among others, proposed the National Computer Recycling Act to levy a national sales tax of $10 on computer monitors and devices for recycling. What's your take on a tax like that?
Grossman: When it was introduced, the bill didn't actually set up any kind of comprehensive system nationwide for dealing with used and obsolete electronics; it was just trying to set up a funding mechanism (for recycling). Nobody likes the idea of just sticking an extra tax on something, but the fact is that it's an expensive process to disassemble electronics and recover the materials. So whether you pay a fee when you return or buy it to cover the cost, or it's folded into the price, somebody has to pay for it. Manufacturers should be building that into the cost of creating (electronics).

So there needs to be a national system is what you're saying?
Grossman: Yeah. Right now there are like five or six states including California, Washington, Minnesota, Maine, Maryland and Massachusetts (with regulations). And it's got to be so confusing for consumers, for manufacturers, for businesses and institutions who are buying and dealing with equipment if every single state has different regulations. So at some point, you have to have something that is uniform across the country.

Can you put the amount of e-waste in context with overall solid waste produced in the United States?
Grossman: The statistic that government agencies and others have been citing is that electronic waste is now the fastest-growing part of the municipal waste stream. It's a little bit hard to compare the e-waste to all other solid waste for the simple reason that it hasn't yet been separated out as a special category of waste. The EPA has just recently in the past year or so decided that electronics should be considered differently from other appliance waste, and so it just hasn't been counted separately.

As an individual consumer, I would say just make sure, whether it's something small like a cell phone or something large like an old printer or desktop computer: Do not put it in the trash.

That's in contrast to projections from the National Safety Council, which estimated that the number of discarded computers has already begun declining.
Grossman: I think those numbers are old. They did one of the first studies on this stuff, and a lot of those figures are still around. But it's not going down. All of the governments who've been looking to this do agree that the e-waste stream is growing faster than any other part of the municipal waste stream.

So what happens if I throw my computer into the trash?
Grossman: Well, you live in California. So, you cannot throw your computer into the trash without risking some kind of penalty.

If I threw a computer into my trash in Oregon, where there isn't any regulation against it, chances are if it got buried deep in and nobody saw it, it would simply get carted off with the rest of the neighborhood garbage. I did ask my local carting company what they do when they see this stuff, and they said they actually pick something out and get it to either a recycler or some reuse organization. But if nobody sees it or it's damaged and there's no regulation against putting electronics into the trash, it's just going to go to the landfill or an incinerator if that's where the municipal garbage goes.

And there it doesn't biodegrade obviously.
Grossman: No, the EPA has estimated that electronics are contributing a significant amount of lead and other heavy metals to landfills, and scientists (say) synthetic chemicals are leaching out of landfills.

What's the ultimate threat to our health and the environment?
Grossman: It depends on what the toxin is, but heavy metals, things like lead, cadmium and barium, are seriously hazardous to health if they get into the water system or they move around as particulates. They can cause respiratory system damage; they can damage nervous systems; and it depends on which heavy metal you're talking about.

The plastics in electronics have flame retardants in them for the most part, and those particles are getting out of the equipment, particularly when it's discarded and those turn out to be bio-accumulative, which means they can accumulate in fat tissue and they're working their way through the food web and they seem to interfere with endocrine functions.

Are some consumer electronic manufacturers more responsible than others? If so, which?
Grossman: It's almost impossible to say. The European Union has mandatory electronics recycling that is requiring that half a dozen different toxic substances, that their use be curtailed or eliminated. And because the high-tech industry is such a global industry and virtually every major manufacturer sells into an international market, it's just not very profitable or feasible to make equipment to different countries specifications. So, for the most part, manufacturers are meeting the standards worldwide.

Beginning this year, most manufacturers are going to be making electronics without lead solder. There will be some variations, but for the most part, all the major manufacturers are trying to move away from using some of these toxic substances whether it's been mandated or not. But because it's such a proprietary industry, it's a little bit hard to find out exactly what they're using as a substitute.

As a consumer, how can we be more responsible?
Grossman: The first thing is, as an individual consumer, I would say just make sure, whether it's something small like a cell phone or something large like an old printer or desktop computer: Do not put it in the trash. Don't put it out on the street with one of those little helpful tags that says, "Free, take me" because if you're ready to put it on the street, chances are it's not working.

Get it to a responsible reuse organization that can get it refurbished and extend its life, or find out what your workplace is doing with its used electronic equipment. A lot of businesses have some kind of take-back program as part of their purchasing agreement, because they've realized that used electronics present a number of liabilities if they are not discarded properly.

You mentioned that there were some silver linings to the story...
Grossman: One of the things that is encouraging is that once attention has been put on the fact that electronics have some serious environmental impact at the end of their lives and in the manufacturing process...improvements are continually being made. You can question whether they it's happening fast enough or comprehensively enough, but everybody is now aware of the problem and working on it somehow.  

More Newsmakers

[Tui Pohutukawa]

Excellent article.

We need to learn that 'consumption', as in consuming the
world's resources, is a bad thing. Sustainability is the key to a
future that is worth living in.

[Tui Pohutukawa]

Excellent article.

We need to learn that 'consumption', as in consuming the
world's resources, is a bad thing. Sustainability is the key to a
future that is worth living in.

[ree_ree2702]

IT is for Green

While I absolutely agree with this article, it falls short of one major piece of information. IF I want to dispose of my old cell phone, CRT, or other electronic device resposibly,

HOW DO I DO IT? WHO DO I CALL? WHERE DO I GO?

You are quick to point out all the things we needs to do, but then don't tell us how to do it. This is why people do not recycle. Because the is little assistance with recycling. Especially outdating equipment that no one will refurbish.

[ree_ree2702]

IT is for Green

While I absolutely agree with this article, it falls short of one major piece of information. IF I want to dispose of my old cell phone, CRT, or other electronic device resposibly,

HOW DO I DO IT? WHO DO I CALL? WHERE DO I GO?

You are quick to point out all the things we needs to do, but then don't tell us how to do it. This is why people do not recycle. Because the is little assistance with recycling. Especially outdating equipment that no one will refurbish.

[lingsun]

The usual liberal environmentalist crap

It's the usual liberal environmentalist crap. The responsibility for junk computers, monitors, and printers resides with the final owners of that equipment and no one else. No one would suggest that Ford was responsible for junk cars, tires, or batteries. No one would suggest that Frigidaire is responsible for junk air conditioners or junk refrigerators. The idea of making computer companies responsible for recycling their products is just another example of the left forcing third parties to provide benefits for people.

[chaddyc]

Then let me add to the steaming pile....

So what should the end user do with them? Make flower vases out
of old CRT tubes? I would absolutely suggest that Ford take back
their old Pinto's, Crown Vics, & F150's . If they had designed them
right in the first place, they could reclaim 100% of their material,
thereby reducing the cost for expensive raw materials and fattened
their bottom line. Actually, this is the direction Ford is heading.
Read a book called "Cradle to Cradle" by McDonough and Braungart
- you'll see where the future is headed - where it has to.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

I agree

I made the same analogy. However for some reason Dell Computers is now taking back all old Dell Machines for free. I suspect they can use some of the old parts on "refurbished" machines.

Maybe if FORD did the same thing starting back in 1920 they would still be a dominate company.

Also my organization, www.scrapitout.com works with large organizations that are in need of disposing of machines that no longer are in business--for example IBM no longer makes PCs.

[richard.watson]

Rubbish

How would you know what's inside your computer, how to get it out, never mind what to do with it once you have an idea?

Making the manufacturer somewhat responsible for helping to fix the problem means they're more likely to manufacture with a view to cleaning up in the first place.

Once I have the product, it's my baby to make sure it goes to the right place, but I don't think the manufacturer can just slap anything into a product and say "hey, liberal commie, have this. clean up when you're finished".

[Tui Pohutukawa]

You can't eat, breath, or drink money, buddy.

Somebody has to accept and recycle all that toxic stuff. Who
would you suggest should do it - the state perhaps? Who is
going to pay for it - you, with your taxes?

[lingsun]

The usual liberal environmentalist crap

It's the usual liberal environmentalist crap. The responsibility for junk computers, monitors, and printers resides with the final owners of that equipment and no one else. No one would suggest that Ford was responsible for junk cars, tires, or batteries. No one would suggest that Frigidaire is responsible for junk air conditioners or junk refrigerators. The idea of making computer companies responsible for recycling their products is just another example of the left forcing third parties to provide benefits for people.

[chaddyc]

Then let me add to the steaming pile....

So what should the end user do with them? Make flower vases out
of old CRT tubes? I would absolutely suggest that Ford take back
their old Pinto's, Crown Vics, & F150's . If they had designed them
right in the first place, they could reclaim 100% of their material,
thereby reducing the cost for expensive raw materials and fattened
their bottom line. Actually, this is the direction Ford is heading.
Read a book called "Cradle to Cradle" by McDonough and Braungart
- you'll see where the future is headed - where it has to.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

I agree

I made the same analogy. However for some reason Dell Computers is now taking back all old Dell Machines for free. I suspect they can use some of the old parts on "refurbished" machines.

Maybe if FORD did the same thing starting back in 1920 they would still be a dominate company.

Also my organization, www.scrapitout.com works with large organizations that are in need of disposing of machines that no longer are in business--for example IBM no longer makes PCs.

[richard.watson]

Rubbish

How would you know what's inside your computer, how to get it out, never mind what to do with it once you have an idea?

Making the manufacturer somewhat responsible for helping to fix the problem means they're more likely to manufacture with a view to cleaning up in the first place.

Once I have the product, it's my baby to make sure it goes to the right place, but I don't think the manufacturer can just slap anything into a product and say "hey, liberal commie, have this. clean up when you're finished".

[Tui Pohutukawa]

You can't eat, breath, or drink money, buddy.

Somebody has to accept and recycle all that toxic stuff. Who
would you suggest should do it - the state perhaps? Who is
going to pay for it - you, with your taxes?

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

[PhilKuhlenbeck]

Solutions

There is an organization that will refer you to a local recycler that is Enviromentally Friendly.

Also make sure to remove any person information from a computer before sending it to a recycler.

Most important is getting rid of any private information that exists on the computer hard drive.

visit www.scrapitout.com for more information.

Paperless Office

LOL! Let me move this stack out of the way so I can type this message.
http://www.techknowcafe.com/content/view/551/43/