Up to 80% of the e-waste in the US is exported to impoverished companies, according to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition [svtc.etoxics.org] (SVTC), and this is a bad thing. Toxic components are either openly burned, soaked in acid baths and dumped into rivers, or piled into mountains of e-waste for scrap recovery, where workers, including children, smash leaded glass tubes, breathe lead solder fumes, and melt plastics with toxic flame retardants. The SVTC points to this video [svtc.etoxics.org], produced by Good magazine with help from the Basel Action Network [www.ban.org], for the harsh reality in moving pictures: it isn’t pretty. Though it’s been illegal to export e-waste to foreign countries since 1990, it still happens, but it doesn’t have to. Keep reading for a few ideas on keeping the e-waste from going too far and making a mess.
Perhaps the easiest thing to do is send stuff back to where you got it from: computer retailers. Though they’ve been a bit sketchy in the past, they’re quickly learning that responsible recycling is a must, and that transparency is the key to solid business. Dell [www.dell.com] offers both donation and recycling options, and will take any old computer, regardless if it’s a Dell or not. They’re working from the EU’s WEEE Directive and is “engaged in the development of country-specific implementation schemes to comply with the national WEEE laws” — in short, they’re still working it out, but are headed in the right direction. Hewlett-Packard [www.hp.com] also offers a variety of services that includes any brand of computer (in most countries), HP printer cartridges, rechargeable batteries and cell phones, and they also have some non-recycling alternatives [www.hp.com]. Apple [www.apple.com], which recently updated its environmental policies [www.apple.com], offers free recycling [www.apple.com] with a purchase (and a 10% discount when trading in an old iPod for a new one) as well as a trade-in program for educational and business customers in the US.
If that won’t work for you, check out the list of qualified recyclers that’s part of the Computer Take Back Campaign [www.computertakeback.com], which have qualified recyclers in most of the 50 states. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) eCycling [www.epa.gov] program has lots of stats, info and resources to learn more about how to best deal with e-waste, including little nuggets like “computer monitors and older TV picture tubes contain an average of four pounds of lead” — yikes! Check out their sections on basic information [www.epa.gov] and frequent questions [www.epa.gov], and, to get really geeky, have a look at the regulations and standards [www.epa.gov] for disposing of the stuff. To find a reputable private recycler, pick from a list of organizations who have taken the Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship [www.ban.org] [PDF] from the Basel Action Network [www.ban.org]. If your machine still functions (and not just as a paperweight), then seeing that it is reused is perhaps the best option. Companies like RetroBox [www.retrobox.com] and FreeGeek [www.freegeek.org] build computers out of salvaged parts; the latter has a list of like-minded organizations [www.freegeek.org] that can be a good starting place for recycling or reusing your machine. eBay’s Rethink Initiative [rethink.ebay.com] “brings together industry, government and environmental organizations to offer a fresh perspective and new answers to the challenge of e-waste”, and even can help you earn some cash for finding your old electronics a new home. With all of these options, there’s no reason your old electronics should end up as e-waste; stay tuned tomorrow for ideas to avoid ever having to deal with the stuff again.
