Collectively, state and local government purchase more than $35 billion worth of technology equipment annually*, and has the opportunity to provide leadership in the environmentally sound and cost effective management of electronic assets.
The State Electronics Challenge (SEC) is a voluntary program that encourages state, regional, and local governments, including schools and other public entities, to:
Purchase greener electronic products.
Reduce the impacts of electronic products during use.
Manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way.
The winter holidays are over, and brittle Christmas trees and empty champagne bottles aren't alone in many consumers' trash heaps. There are also used computers, televisions, cell phones and other gizmos that have been replaced with fancier models.
Those piles may be somewhat larger than in recent years, thanks to the imminent U.S. government-mandated changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting. The switch, which is slated for February, has prompted many consumers to flock to retailers for new sets.
American households have, on average, about 24 consumer electronics products, according the Consumer Electronics Association.
The winter holidays are over, and brittle Christmas trees and empty champagne bottles aren't alone in many consumers' trash heaps. There are also used computers, televisions, cell phones and other gizmos that have been replaced with fancier models.
Those piles may be somewhat larger than in recent years, thanks to the imminent U.S. government-mandated changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting. The switch, which is slated for February, has prompted many consumers to flock to retailers for new sets.
American households have, on average, about 24 consumer electronics products, according the Consumer Electronics Association.
In November, not two weeks after winning the election and still two months from becoming commander in chief, Barack Obama brought the government into the 21st century. Or at least that was what we were told when he released his first Web video address as president-elect. The clip, billed by some as a modern fireside chat, was embedded as a YouTube video on Change.gov, the incoming administration's Web site. Sitting in a leather chair, framed slightly off center from his chest up, Obama delivered a three-minute talk on the economic crisis, vlog style.In November, not two weeks after winning the election and still two months from becoming commander in chief, Barack Obama brought the government into the 21st century. Or at least that was what we were told when he released his first Web video address as president-elect. The clip, billed by some as a modern fireside chat, was embedded as a YouTube video on Change.gov, the incoming administration's Web site. Sitting in a leather chair, framed slightly off center from his chest up, Obama delivered a three-minute talk on the economic crisis, vlog style.
Do you have an old TV, laptop or monitor? Now you can easily recycle it for free, thanks to a new state law.
The E-Cycle Washington program requires manufacturers to provide recycling services for TVs, desktop computers, laptop computers and monitors at no cost to residents, nonprofits, small businesses, schools and local governments.
"The law puts the responsibility of end-of-life disposal costs on the manufacturer, rather than the resident or local government. This is important because recycling is a very expensive process," said Terri Thomas, education and outreach specialist for Thurston County Solid Waste.
Before, residents either had to rely on Thurston County's twice-a-year Community Recycle Days or seek out other options, usually at their own expense, Thomas said.
Perhaps that's why electronics are the fastest-growing waste stream, she said.
With electronic items high on Christmas shopping lists, a new report is calling on the government to ensure that manufacturers collect and recycle unwanted computers and mobile phones to protect environmental and human health.
This is the motherboard of all problems. Federal and state governments must act to stop the dumping of millions of electronic items in landfill each year," says Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre (TEC), an independent Australian green organisation.
New e-waste recycling laws passed in Oregon and Washington take effect on New
Year's Day, requiring electronics manufacturers to recycled old hardware, and
promising to spur the growth of responsible e-waste disposal.
The laws, which passed
in mid-2007 in Oregon
and in 2006 in Washington, require
manufacturers to pay for the recycling of their electronics products sold in
each state, and is expected to collect as much as 12 million pounds of
electronics in Oregon and about 25 million in Washington in the first year
alone.
The new laws are among the toughest in the country, and highlight what
e-waste and public health advocates say is the best solution to the country's --
and the planet's -- enormous e-waste problem. As we found in researching
electronic waste in 2008's State of Green Business report, the mountain of
potentially valuable
(and often toxic) electronic waste is
growing substantially faster than companies and governments are able to collect
and recycle it.
In the wake of a
harshly critical government report
and an
eye-opening exposé
on television's 60 Minutes newsmagazine,
e-waste has spent a lot of time in the limelight this year. And the new laws
promise to help turn the tide from what activist groups have called "anarchy" in
the e-waste takeback market.
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) Pollution Prevention Program works to leverage the buying power of large institutions in order to expand the market for "greener" electronic products that encourages the development of a sustainable, socially responsible production system in the electronics sector. Currently the Pollution Prevention Program is focused on the health care sector, partnering with the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) campaign, to encourage SF Bay Area hospitals and national health care organizations to adopt more environmentally preferable purchasing, management and disposal practices for their electronic equipment. CEH also provides purchasing assistance to institutions from other sectors such as government and private industry, partnering with other coalitions such as the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC). CEH integrates the resources and expertise of ETBC in electronics with the experience and knowledge of HCWH in procurement in order to influence the purchasing decisions of large institutions in healthcare, government and academia towards more environmentally responsible electronics. Contact Sue Chiang, Pollution Prevention Program Director, 510.655.3900 x311, sue[at]cehca.org or Judy Levin, Pollution Prevention Program Coordinator, 510.655.3900 x316, judy[at]cehca.org with any questions.
Beijing Review article by Ding Wenlei, 7/9/09. "In the eight years after Guiyu became a collection point for electronic waste, Greenpeace China and other green organizations have not stopped urging major waste exporters to cease shipping their detritus to China. At the same time, they have been lobbying the Chinese Government to crack down more effectively on illegal electronic waste recycling. China finally has its own regulation on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)-the Regulation on the Administration of the Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products. Announced on February 25, the regulation will hold producers liable for the costs of managing their products at the end of their lifecycles as of January 1, 2011. According to the regulation, China will license large qualified recycling plants and develop a recycling economy to better safeguard the environment and human health. Yet, for environmental organizations, the Chinese Government and licensed recycling plants, it remains an uphill battle to smash the business chain of the illegal recycling of electronic waste."
The Government has outlined a national framework for e-waste to be developed and set in place for all industry organisations from 2011. In a meeting today [11/5/09], the Environmental Protection Heritage Council (EPHC) confirmed the national e-waste management program will be a consistent national policy regulating the disposal of electronic products in Australia including computers, monitors and TVs.
AUGUSTA, GA - Columbia County's new recycling center, part of the Chamblin Road government complex that includes the new Animal Services building, Health Department and State Patrol post, will be operational in about a month. And, according to Keep Columbia County Beautiful Coordinator Jenny Hinton, the facility is ready to help Columbia County residents go green... only leave your glass bottles at home.
Regulations governing disposal of electronic waste can reduce the world's mountains of recycled devices, says Professor Erica Plambeck. She and her coauthor also find that by encouraging manufacturers to slow the rate of new product introductions, consumers are willing to pay more for devices now on the shelves.
Cisco, Dell, HP, Motorola, Nokia, Research in Motion, Sprint Nextel and Vodafone, as well as Apple, Inc. have stepped in to fulfill this vital service. A new report from Pike Research, who tracks global clean technology trends, notes that with the implementation of these private sector programs, in conjunction with new government regulations on what can end up in landfills, e-waste will begin to be curtailed in 2016, when recycling practices fully catch up with the growth of personal machinery.
VISTA, Calif./EWORLDWIRE/Aug. 11, 2009 --- E-World Online today announced the debut of the Manufacturer Interstate Takeback System (MITS). Conceived and developed by E-World Online, with direction from Sony Electronics, the system will perform multiple functions: tracking the collection, transportation and responsible recycling of household, small business and small government electronics waste in various extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs throughout the U.S.
OLYMPIA - If you're wondering what to do with those unwanted TVs, computers
and monitors stored in a garage or back-room, relief is here. E-Cycle Washington
is a new program that started on Jan. 1. It allows free and convenient recycling
of these electronic products.
The makers of these products are providing about 200 collection sites around
the state. State residents, small businesses, school districts, small government
agencies and charities can bring television sets, computers (desktop and laptop)
and monitors to these sites to be recycled. They will pay no fee for this
service.
There is no need to rush out this weekend - or even this month. E-Cycle
Washington is a permanent and ongoing addition to current recycling
opportunities available to Washington residents. Many collection sites will be
open several days a week and some will be open every day. And the collection
network will be continuously improved to meet the needs of the public.
The Collaboration Project is an independent forum of leaders committed to
leveraging web 2.0 and the benefits of collaborative technology to solve
government's complex problems. Powered by the National Academy of Public
Administration, this "wikified" space is designed to share ideas, examples and
insights on the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in the field of public
governance.
E-Cycle Washington, a new program that started on Jan. 1, allows free and
convenient recycling of TVs, desktop and laptop computers, and monitors only,
according to a Jan. 12 press release.
The makers of these products are providing about 200 collection sites around
the state. State residents, small businesses, school districts, small government
agencies, and charities can bring these electronic items to the sites.
The program is
FREE RECYCLING OF television sets, laptop and desktop
computers and monitors is available in Jefferson and Clallam counties, thanks to
the state's new E-Cycle Washington program.
That means no one needs to
throw away such gear and add to already stuffed landfills.
Households,
businesses, school districts, government agencies and nonprofit groups can take
advantage of the free program.
Prior to the startup of this program, the quality of electronic waste recycling in this state, and across the nation has been questionable at best. While there are a number of reputable firms that handle and recycle electronic
components properly, there are other, well-documented cases of companies that
collect the items for shipment to Third World countries, where they are crudely
picked apart, endangering the health of workers, communities and the
environment.
The state's electronic waste recycling program, similar to ones developed in
16 other states, is another classic example of the federal government shirking
its duties. Rather than a nationwide electronic waste recycling program with
uniform rules and regulations, the states are left to fend for themselves. How
many times have we seen this scenario play out during the past eight years?
