Eliminating E-waste

The holiday season is right around the corner. It will be the time for many people to receive that new fancy electronic product that has looked so good on the store shelf. In many cases the receipt of the new electronic gadget will mean discarding the old one. That electronic device that we no longer have use for is called E-waste.
However, before we discard that old cell phone, television, computer, fax machine, iPod, printer, VCR, camera or any other electronic product, we should consider that electronic trash is one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream. Less than 10% of discarded computers are actually recycled. Millions of computers and electronics are dumped into landfills each year by people who don't know what to do with them.

The fact is that a personal computer discarded in a landfill is an environmental hazard. Only 10 to 15 percent of electronics are currently recycled, industry analysts say. The rest collects dust in people's homes or get dumped into municipal landfills, where environmentalists worry toxic chemicals can leak out. Discarded computers, televisions, radios, batteries, cell phones, cameras and other gadgets contain a slew of toxic metals and chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, brominated flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. These metals and chemicals are known to cause damage to the nervous system, the brain, the kidneys, and can cause birth defects and cancer. A typical computer monitor alone usually contains up to eight pounds of lead.

Indeed, electronic waste (E-waste) is one of the fastest-growing categories of garbage in the United States. A 2005 study by the U.S. EPA found that about 1.5 to 1.9 million tons of electronic waste was discarded in landfills; only about 345,000 to 379,000 tons were recycled. As for the E-waste that is collected for recycling in the US, it is estimated that more than 80% is actually being sent overseas to developing countries such as China, India, and Pakistan. In these countries safety and environmental standards are very lax. The E-waste may be dumped in fields or crudely dismantled for precious metals; poisoning the people, land, air, and water.

So what do we do with our E-waste? We can pay a fee to a recycling company that does not ship it to developing countries. The electronic item that may seem useless to its original owner, could still be put to good use by reuse, recycling, or refurbishment.

Another option is to buy electronic products from companies that are concerned about the environmental problems and are taking action to eliminate E-waste.

For several years, Dell and Hewlett Packard have been leaders in computer product recycling. Apple Computer has recently announced expanding its own recycling program. In August 2007, electronics industry titan, Sony announced exciting environmental news. Sony revealed its intention to be an environmental pioneer in the elimination of E-waste. Sony will offer free recycling of all its products in the United States. Within a year, Sony and Waste Management will offer 150 recycling sites. Their goal is to eventually provide drop off locations within 20 miles of 95 percent of the U.S. population.

Sony will also try to persuade retailers who sell its products to take them back; retail giants like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Circuit City could eventually be enlisted to pick up old electronics when they deliver new. If all goes according to plan, disassembly will be done in the United States and not outsourced to other countries where environmental standards are lax. Sony's long term goal is to recycle one pound of old consumer electronics equipment for every pound of new product sold. Walmart, Toyota and others have embraced this idea, which is called "zero waste."

This holiday season, consumers should reward companies that provide solutions to the problems in the environment. Consumer electronic purchases should only be made from firms with a commitment to recycle their own end products. Philips, Panasonic, Sanyo and others now need to act and follow Sony's lead in electronic recycling. For the sake of our environment, both the electronics industry and all of its consumers should be committed to product recycling with the long term goal of eliminating E-waste.

James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political, national, and world events. Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com