EoW March 2007

As noted by Paul Vitello of the New York Times , a consensus is emerging among environmentalists and public officials that actionmust be taken about obsolete computer equipment and TV sets in American homes that could soon hit the waste stream. Six states have passed laws requiring private citizens to recycle electronic trash. The New York State Legislature is expected to consider such a bill this year, having passed a narrower measure mandating recycling of cell phones that took effect in January. But the bulk of the effort has been left to voluntary local programmes like one in Nassau County, adjacent to New York City. As described by Mr Vitello, by late last year the town of North Hempstead had, at a cost of $4,000, instituted a reclamation project spanning six months. On four Sundays over that period, North Hempstead town workers stationed themselves at the town dump to help residents load their electronic discards into cardboard boxes, for shipment to a recycling company in the upstate city of Buffalo. (‘Clearing a Path from Desktop to the Recycler,’ 11 th November). While it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of such a programme, civic awareness of the problem is long overdue. Matthew Hale, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of solid waste, said the federal government was increasingly concerned about a coming tidal wave of electronic trash. “People have been buying electronics for a long time, and they tend to keep electronics for a long time,” he said in a telephone interview with Mr Vitello. “But it’s a maturing industry, and we’re beginning to see significant waste streams coming from it.” Even given the best of intentions, disposal of e-waste is problematic. Waste experts complain that there is little regulation of recycling companies hired to come and haul the detritus away. Elizabeth Grossman, author of ‘High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health,’ published in May 2006, said the lack of a standardised certification process for such companies had contributed to the dumping of e-waste in poor countries. According to environmental advocates consulted for the Times article cited above, the electronics manufacturers themselves are among the most reliable recyclers. The websites of Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Dell, Sharp, Panasonic, and Sony, among others, all advertise free recycling programmes for consumers. Some companies will arrange for pickups or pay shipping costs. The catch there, Ms Grossman said, is two-fold: Most people are unaware of the programmes. And those who make themselves aware are not the problem. ❈

Dorothy Fabian – USA Editor

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EuroWire – March 2007