One of the major stories that emerged from the Consumer Electronics
Show last month was not about the latest plasma TV or handheld phone,
but how we dispose of last year’s model. That’s right, the hottest
topic was e-waste, e-cycling and the far-reaching “greening” of the
electronics industry.
Electronics waste recycling
has risen again to the forefront of the news as additional states
joined pioneering California and Maine in enacting their own versions
of the WEEE directive during the second half of 2007. And just like the
RoHS situation here in the U.S., there is no unified electronics
recycling law from state to state, and it’s a good bet consumers and
manufacturers are going to pay a price for these regional differences.
Back
in June, the Electronics Industries Alliance again urged Congress to
take action. It’s no surprise, however, that we entered the new year
without a national program. Since 2003, Congress has been “considering”
various forms of this legislation. Here, almost five years later, we at
best pay lip service to electronics recycling. Absent a federal plan,
at the close of 2007 only 10 states had some form of legislation in
place to regulate e-waste.
It has been estimated
that in 2007, only 12.5% of the electronics waste generated in the U.S.
was recycled. These figures vary depending on the specific products
included in the category of electronics waste. Most of the states that
have enacted laws include only computers, TVs and CRTs generated by
household consumers – not those purchased by and used for business
purposes. This figure represents about 320,000 tons, so doing the math,
the U.S. annually generates more than 2.5 million tons of e-waste.
The
majority of states that have laws on the books follow a “producer
responsibility” approach. That is, the product manufacturer is
responsible for cost of recycling the waste. Some programs are already
on line, but most will be phased in over the next few years.
California, for one, has an “advanced recovery fee” based system, but
language for a producer responsibility approach is under evaluation
and, if ratified, will be added to its regulations.
Current
data shows that even in states with mandatory recycling laws, only 20%
of U.S. consumers comply. A number of OEMs encourage recycling through
take-back programs. Of these, companies like Apple, H-P, Dell and Sony
are becoming models of corporate stewardship.
Each
company has different ideas about what should be included and how these
programs should work. Apple, for example, will take back any
competitive brand, provided you buy a new PC direct from Apple. Dell,
which has a similar program, will also take old Dell models for free
(including shipping), even if you aren’t buying a new version. Sony’s
program is relatively new, but it will also cover TVs – a big plus for
analog holdouts. (A great guide to the various programs is at
computertakeback.com.)
Several other programs are
in development to establish beneficial end-of-life product recycling.
Keep in mind that most programs and companies are looking to deal with
large volumes of waste from municipalities or those collected by
organizations, and are not set up to deal with one-off units. This may
be why more consumers don’t recycle e-waste. It’s just not as
straightforward as taking out the trash.
On its Web
site, EPA lists over 140 U.S. members of the International Association
of Electronics Recyclers that specialize in e-waste. Many combine
environmentally sound materials recovery procedures with some form of
parts recovery and unit refurbishment. If you don’t recycle e-waste via
one of the major OEMs, check out these firms, but be forewarned: First
ensure they do not ship e-waste overseas, where it could be processed
by shady outfits and reintroduced to the supply chain via the gray
parts market.
If we can make more of our waste
through recycling programs here in the U.S. that work, everybody wins.
Job can be created, natural resources and the environment preserved,
and millions of pounds of usable materials diverted from overflowing
landfills. The assets we discard today might just be those we want most
tomorrow.
One housekeeping note: Want to conserve a
few gallons (or more) of gas? Check out Virtual PCB, the industry’s
first Web-based, fully interactive, virtual event for PCB designers,
fabricators and assemblers. The show dates are Feb. 12-13, and
registration (virtual-pcb.com) is free. Virtual PCB offers leading
exhibitors, technical content and networking both during the live event
and for the three months that follow, all from the comfort and
convenience of your office or home.
