A state law that just went into effect to encourage recycling of electronics
needs some tinkering to make sure it doesn't inadvertently bankrupt businesses
that fix old computers, says a state legislator whose South Seattle district
includes several computer-refurbishing shops.
The law allows consumers to recycle computers, computer monitors, laptops and
TVs for free. In effect as of Thursday, it is being hailed as groundbreaking
nationally because it marks the first time a state has forced electronics
manufacturers to pay the entire cost of the recycling.
But there's a big problem with the law, according to environmentalists as
well as the computer refurbishers: It puts a big hurdle in the way of the
computer rebuilders.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is making an
effort
to be greener in 2009
, officially kicks off this morning - and already the
eco-announcements are piling up. Electronics makers are claiming their hardware
is more energy efficient than the next, manufacturers are launching recycling
programs, and devices that just make your life easier (such as navigation
services) are being painted as green.
Oregon e-Cycles has
a great website
up for consumers to help guide them through the whys and
hows of e-cycling. If you live in the area, simply
type in your zip
code
and you're given a listing of local collection points. Oregon has
another item that will launch next New Year's Day: on January 1, 2010, disposal
of computers, monitors and TVs
will be banned
.
Also launching on this New Years Day was
Washington's new
program
letting people drop off certain e-waste items for free. They too
have a
search database for
finding a local drop-off point
, as well as a call-in hotline.
The Washington bill is what other states wanted,'' said Scott Cassel, executive of the Product Stewardship Institute.
Requiring manufacturers to cover the collection and recycling costs will encourage them to design greener products that are less toxic and easier to recycle, he said.
``Here is a state that took a careful, methodical and comprehensive approach and considered various options,'' Cassel said. ``Now state residents will have an electronics recycling system that will become the gold standard for the country.''
A wide and diverse group backed the bill, which also had bipartisan support. Computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., Seattle electronics recycler Total Reclaim Inc., and retailers Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Amazon.com supported the bill.
But the bill was far from receiving unanimous backing from electronics manufacturers. The Electronic Industries Alliance communicated its concerns with Washington's legislation. The group, along with 18 of its member companies, such as Dell Inc., IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., did not support the bill.
The law does not implement a shared responsibility approach. But rather, it extends the manufacturers' responsibility to finance the end of the life of their products, according to the EIA's remarks to the Washington Legislature. Such a system is inefficient, the group said, and will result in increased costs for Washington consumers.
``The Washington bill is what other states wanted,'' said Scott Cassel, executive of the Product Stewardship Institute.
Requiring manufacturers to cover the collection and recycling costs will encourage them to design greener products that are less toxic and easier to recycle, he said.
``Here is a state that took a careful, methodical and comprehensive approach and considered various options,'' Cassel said. ``Now state residents will have an electronics recycling system that will become the gold standard for the country.''
A wide and diverse group backed the bill, which also had bipartisan support. Computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., Seattle electronics recycler Total Reclaim Inc., and retailers Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Amazon.com supported the bill.
But the bill was far from receiving unanimous backing from electronics manufacturers. The Electronic Industries Alliance communicated its concerns with Washington's legislation. The group, along with 18 of its member companies, such as Dell Inc., IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., did not support the bill.
The law does not implement a shared responsibility approach. But rather, it extends the manufacturers' responsibility to finance the end of the life of their products, according to the EIA's remarks to the Washington Legislature. Such a system is inefficient, the group said, and will result in increased costs for Washington consumers.
"It is an exciting day," said Sego Jackson, a principal planner for Snohomish County who helped shape the statewide program called E-Cycle Washington. "It's a system that is flipped on its head."
Hailed as a huge victory for the environment and electronics-saddled consumers, the legislation was the first of its kind in the country when it passed in 2006.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumers who wait too long to request government coupons to subsidize converter boxes for the digital television transition in February may come up empty-handed, a regulator
The typical American home contains 24 consumer electronic products, the
latest
statistics
show: Televisions, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, game
consoles, plus all their beeping cousins.
Holiday gift-giving doesn't just widen the stream of gadgets and gizmos. It
makes orphans of the old stuff.
Got a great deal on an LCD television for Christmas? Upgraded to a faster PC?
Unwrapped a Blu-ray to replace that standard DVD player?
Each item likely displaces another, leaving behind a heap of electro-rubble.
Last year, Americans shoved aside an estimated 27 million outdated or
unwanted televisions, and 205 million computers and chunks of related hardware
(printers, mice, etc.), according to the Environmental Protection Agency. We
crammed most of this e-waste inside a million basements, or stuffed it in the
trash.
It's Christmas morning, and there beneath the tree was your new television, sleek and digital. Or maybe it was a new computer. Or the newest electronic gee-whiz gadget. All well and good, but what are you going to do with the old
equipment it replaces?
Most people - about 88 percent according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - simply toss so-called e-waste into the trash.
Given the heavy metals and other toxic substances such equipment contains, that's obviously a bad idea, says the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national consortium of environmental and consumer groups. But, in some cases, doing the seemingly responsible thing - hauling outmoded equipment to a recycler - is as bad as junking it, warned Barbara Kyle, the group's national coordinator.
Often, she said, "recycled" electronics are shipped to processors in developing countries, who use primitive techniques to extract valuable
metals.
It's Christmas morning, and there beneath the tree was your new television, sleek and digital. Or maybe it was a new computer. Or the newest electronic gee-whiz gadget. All well and good, but what are you going to do with the old
equipment it replaces?
Most people - about 88 percent according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - simply toss so-called e-waste into the trash.
Given the heavy metals and other toxic substances such equipment contains, that's obviously a bad idea, says the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national consortium of environmental and consumer groups. But, in some cases, doing the seemingly responsible thing - hauling outmoded equipment to a recycler - is as bad as junking it, warned Barbara Kyle, the group's national coordinator.
Often, she said, "recycled" electronics are shipped to processors in developing countries, who use primitive techniques to extract valuable metals.
FRESNO, Calif. - (Business Wire) Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the
nation's leading recycler of electronic waste, has teamed with KSEE-TV Channel
24, the Central Valley's News Station and Fresno NBC affiliate, to provide a
series of free electronic waste recycling events for local residents.
The first "RecyclAthon" event will take place on Saturday, January
3rd from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ERI headquarters on 2860 S. East Avenue in Fresno. The event will enable consumers to drop off unwanted computer
monitors, televisions and other electronic items for free.
In the 1970s, Gordon E. Moore theorized that computer processing power doubles about every 18 months especially relative to cost or size. His theory, known as Moore?s Law, has proved largely true. Thinner, sleeker, and faster computers have replaced the big boxes and monitors people once owned 10 years ago.
This phenomenon is not limited to computers. Each day, various types of consumer electronics are constantly being upgraded or completely scrapped in favor of technological advancements. In the process, scores of old VCRs, walkman cassette decks and bulky video cameras become what is known as ?e-waste? or electronic waste.
Product
stewardship is a term used to describe a product-centered approach to
environmental protection.
It
calls on those in
the product life cycle -- from designers, manufacturers, retailers,
consumers, waste managers and disposers -- to share responsibility for
reducing the environmental impacts of products.
Product
stewardship activities have been taking place globally for over a decade.
In the United States,
this idea is gaining interest as more
state and local governments cope with large, ever-changing, and complex waste
streams.
If you've been waiting forever to unload that old TV or
computer, Jan. 1 is your lucky day. A new state law requires electronics
manufacturers to start safely recycling four of the most-discarded items, with
no charge to consumers.
Washington's law is the first in the nation to require electronics producers
to pay for the whole process.
But, please, don't everyone haul your used computers,
monitors, laptops and TVs to the recycling center the first week of January,
industry and government officials are pleading. They fear a glut of electronic
waste clogging the system just as it gets off the ground.
Welcome to the Consumer Reports' Electronics Reuse & Recycling Center. Here you'll find solutions for dealing with your old Computer, Cell phone, TV and Other electronics, plus tips for buying new electronics that may last longer. You'll also find information about the growing problem of E-waste and what government and industry are doing to address it.
"It's not much of a stretch to liken America's relationship with cells phones to a once sizzling romance that ends in goodbye.
Fated love affairs typically begin with blind infatuation and fiery passion before reality sets in, cooling the embers enough to allow more guarded, sometimes less attractive aspects of the self to surface. Interest wanes until the love object is abandoned or replaced by an alluring new one.
Americans relate to cell phones in much the same way. An old phone, with once novel features that drew fascination, is discarded with hardly a thought when an updated model makes it seem obsolete. That consumers replace cell phones about every two years makes this analogy seem less silly.
A parallel can be drawn, too, between the innards of a cell phone and what is revealed when one person lets another peek inside: it's not all pretty. Some nasty materials lurk behind the bright shiny casing, making cell phone disposal a knotty environmental issue, analogous to ending, with minimal damages, a relationship gone sour. "
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) have filed a lawsuit challenging New York City Local Laws 13 and 21 of 2008 and the implementing regulation, created by the City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) (Door to door collection of electronics by the manufacturers)
Illinois e-waste legislation that requires manufacturers to establish facilities to accept e-waste from consumers. The law is on a rolling basis and over the next few years the recycling requirements will kick in and by 2012, disposal of certain e-waste in municipal waste and sanitary landfills and at incinerators will be prohibited. The E-Waste Act only applies to electronic equipment taken out of use from residences, but it affects many of the businesses involved in the stream of electronic commerce. There is a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each day of violation. Devices covered in the legislation include computers, cell phones, televisions, PDAs, printers, fax machines, game consoles, VCRs, DVD players, iPods and others (calculators and typewriters are NOT included).
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) web site that helps consumers locate electronics recyclers in their area (search by address or ZIP code). Also provides tips for reducing e-waste production and energy consumption, including an "Energy Consumption Calculator" that estimates electricity used by electronic devices and the associated cost by minute, day, month and year. Information on corporate recycling programs, electronics recycling FAQs, resources for electronics reuse, and environmentally preferable purchasing tips are also provided. A form is available for electronics recyclers to submit their company information for inclusion in the recycler database.