It's Not Easy Being Green

March, 2008
By Tech News Staff Writer Andrew Newberg

Walk up and down a street on garbage day in New York City and you're bound to see a used television, some stereo components, a fax machine or an old computer tower and monitor. Hidden from view in tall black bags are inevitably some old cell phones, batteries, and ink and toner cartridges. Without much thought, you pass by, and the next day, the street is clean. What you may encounter on the street only scratches the surface of what's off the street and in the homes; tucked away in corners of closets, stuffed under beds, or sitting alongside newer technology (the flat panel monitor buoyed by the CRT monitor). In the home, on the street, or at the workplace, we're reminded that what we see walking down a street in New York City on trash day is emblematic of one of the more pressing issues in environmental policy: What to do with e-waste?

E-Waste: A Growing Problem
E-waste is 'electronic waste' consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance. Many of the components of such equipment are considered toxic and are not biodegradable. E-waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream because people are upgrading their mobile phones, computers, televisions, audio equipment and printers more frequently than ever before. Mobile phones and computers are causing the biggest problem because they are replaced most often.

It's the nature of technology to move ahead at breakneck speed? but keeping up with the safe disposal of this waste has turned out to be a significant challenge. Inside each of these products are unhealthy amounts of dangerous chemicals and elements, possessing health risks at present and for the future. This danger has staying power.

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Recently, the possible presence of unsafe levels of lead found in the paint of some children's toys struck fear into every parent. Imagine one of those little toys with trace amounts of lead?-now, imagine a toy with four pounds of lead. An average computer terminal may contain up to four pounds of lead as well as smaller amounts of mercury and cadmium.

Intact, these monitors, terminals, and older televisions are safe. But, when dismantled incorrectly, broken, or compromised, dangerous chemicals may leach out into our environment. According to the EPA, as much as 70% of heavy metals contained in landfills, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, originate from electronic waste. Arsenic, chromium, and beryllium can also be added into this e-stew creating an environmental nightmare.

Leave e-waste in the normal waste stream and it can directly injure and harm those who are ill-equipped to dispose of these dangerous toxins. Buried e-waste finds its way into our water; incinerated e-waste endangers our air. New York City's E-Waste Problem

In New York City, less than 10% of the city's electronic waste is currently being recycled. The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has experimented with some e-recycling programs. For example, DSNY holds periodic drop-off events that select a location for an e-drive. As successful as those particular events may be, less than 10% is still much too small, especially for a city that ranks as one of the most energy-efficient and 'green' given its metropolitan footprint. To address this growing problem, new e-waste legislation has been introduced. But, as lawmakers seek to draft a policy that satisfies manufacturers, government agencies and consumers, different, more immediate strategies to stem the tide of e-waste have been formulated. A list for local programs, manufacturer and retailer programs and government supported donation and recycling programs can be found at the EPA's website: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm

Just follow the links to:
Find a Local Program
Manufacturer and Retailer Programs
Government-Supported Donation and Recycling Programs


Taking Charge of Your E-Waste
If a single computer terminal can hold up to four pounds of lead, just think of the cubicle cluster at your workplace. Think of that stack of CPU's, CRT's and all the other generations of machines that may be sitting around your office. How is your organization managing it?

Many places provide recycling canisters for paper (the average office worker prints 10,000 pages a year) and designate places for bottle/cans, and many allocate bins for disposal of ink and toner cartridges with specific instructions; but for the larger items mentioned earlier, those machines are usually stacked in rooms, in empty cubicles, or in holding areas until some clear plan can be put into action. Until then, what can your organization do? The following information at New York City's official website offers tips for offices and agencies to address their electronic waste concerns: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/at_agencies/tips_agencies_electronics.shtml

YOU Have the Power To Reduce E-Waste
There are plenty of ways that you as an individual can bring some green into your daily routine. SierraClub.com provides ten simple ways to 'Go Green at Work' at the following link: http://www.sierraclub.org/greenoffice/tips.pdf

The guidance and tips found in these sources may be difficult to incorporate instantly into your workplace, but a few of these measures will gather momentum, and soon, perhaps 'going green' at work will become second nature. Adopting a more 'green' attitude at work may be a bit easier, surrounded by the reminders of green and blue receptacles for recycling paper, plastics and aluminum, but the e-waste scenario proves more daunting. Integrating awareness and seeking out methods for the safe recycling and disposal of electronic waste, as an organization or as an individual, will carry its own momentum, a momentum that contributes towards a landscape that will hopefully become significantly less cluttered by toxic e-waste. For more answers to question regarding e-waste, you can find valuable information at the EPA's website: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/faq.htm