Putting e-waste in its right place
E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the U.S. In 2007, Americans got rid of 27 million TVs, 205 million computer products and more than 100 million cellphones and PDAs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Just 16% of that was recycled.
"Ten years ago, electronic waste wasn’t even on our radar," said Thea McManus, associate director of the EPA in Washington, D.C. Now, she said, "It’s an issue that needs special management."
Yet there is no federal law governing electronic trash. The EPA offers e-waste guidelines to consumers, manufacturers and retailers through a program called Plug-In to eCycling and is in the process of drafting e-waste legislation in Congress. But consumers are often still left confused about what to do with a cellphone when its buttons stop functioning or an outdated TV.
Because many consumer electronics are thrown away long before they die, the EPA suggests reuse and refurbishment before the trash. This would also help "to mitigate the digital divide" between the perpetually upgrading, gadget-hungry haves and lower-income have-nots. Recycling, McManus said, "would be the last approach."
Though landfills are safe and highly engineered to handle disposal of electronics, she said, "That shouldn’t be our first tier of waste management."
When electronics are recycled they are broken down into component pieces, separating a TV screen from its plastic case or a hard drive from a laptop computer, for example. Those components are then broken down into salable commodities, such as plastic, glass or metal.
While specific recycling options vary by location, the government, retailers (such as Best Buy and AT&T) and manufacturers (such as Panasonic, Toshiba and Sharp, which sponsor a program called MRM) are good places to start looking.
