Group items tagged

"The DfE Computer Display Partnership, along with the electronics industry, evaluated the life-cycle environmental impacts, performance, and cost of technologies that are used in desktop computer monitors-namely, cathode ray tubes (CRT) and liquid crystal displays (LCD).This project generated data to assist original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers in the electronics field in incorporating environmental considerations into their decision-making processes and identify areas for improvement. This project combined both the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment (CTSA) approaches to analyze the environmental impacts, performance, and cost of both CRT and LCD desktop monitors. These evaluations will help the electronics industry: consider alternative technologies, materials, and processes that reduce releases of toxic chemicals, conserve resources, and lower risks to human health and the environment; perform an improvement assessment of display technologies and their components; and meet the growing global demands for 'extended product responsibility.'" Site includes general project information, findings & accomplishments, publications and a list of partners.

By redesigning packaging for its phone accessories, Sprint expects to save $2.1 million annually in packaging costs. This represents a 35 percent reduction in packaging costs, according to a press release, and a corresponding reduction in 647 tons of waste annually.

Westford - The Westford Recycling Commission (WRC) facilitates three electronics recycling (E-cycling) events per year. These events provide an avenue for Westford residents to discard electronic items in an environmentally responsible manner for a minimal cost. This ensures these items stay out of the waste stream and are disposed of properly.

More than 20,000 computers and televisions were dropped off at Canberra's tips over the weekend as part of a free e-waste disposal scheme. There were line-ups at all three drop off points. Shipping containers at the Tuggeranong site was full by early Sunday morning. It usually costs nearly $40 to dispose of a computer and a monitor but thanks to Apple, that fee was waived for the two days

An environmental group's outcry on Thursday over removal of electronic waste from a Monroeville warehouse by a controversial recycler could wind up costing warehouse owner Levin Furniture - which just wants to see it disposed of properly.

Collective concern from businesses, municipalities, environmentalists and manufacturers over the hazards of e-waste has led to a search for ways to reduce its environmental impact. With a greater need for programs that handle collection and disposal of used electronics products in a way that is safest for the environment, product stewardship is emerging as a viable and cost-efficient strategy for doing so, placing the responsibility for a product's proper disposal on the shoulders of the company that makes or sells the product, or even upon the purchaser. The concept can be applied to a range of products, from paints and prescription medication to batteries and computers. Written by Carl Smith, CEO of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, 7/22/09.

An online resource for facilities that need a simple and cost-effective way to recycle their fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, batteries, ballasts, and electronic waste.

An online resource for facilities that need a simple and cost-effective way to recycle their fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, batteries, ballasts, and electronic waste.

7/15/09. Article on Trash Track, a project of the MIT SENSEable City lab that uses microprocessors to track the movement of various types of waste through an urban waste stream for the analysis of patterns and assessment of disposal costs. Seattle, WA and NYC are pilot projects in the U.S.; tracking will also occur in London, England in the U.K.

Scientific American, 7/17/09, article by Larry Greenemeier. Most people assume that their trash ends up in a landfill somewhere far away (if they think about this at all). But growing concern over the environmental impact of waste-discarded electronics, in particular-has prompted a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to take a high-tech approach to studying exactly what people are tossing out and where those items are ending up. The researchers, part of MIT's Senseable City Lab, have developed electronic tags that they're hoping as many as 3,000 volunteers in Seattle and New York City will affix to different items they throw away this summer as part of the Trash Track program. These tags will contact cell phone towers they pass as they flow through the trash stream to their final destinations, helping the researchers monitor the patterns and costs of urban disposal.

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 WEEE Forum's set of remarks on the European Commission's Proposal for a recast of Directive 2002/96/EC on WEEE 24 April 2009. "In this paper, the WEEE Forum seeks to contribute, by providing both expert views and facts and figures, to the discussion on the recast of the Directive. The focus of this issue paper is the newly proposed collection targets and the requirement on member states to finance at least the costs of collection from collection facilities and the treatment, disposal and recovery of WEEE, and to encourage producers to take full ownership of the WEEE collection, in particular by financing the collection of WEEE throughout the whole waste chain including from private households."

Wall Street Journal article by Ryan Knutson, 7/2/09. Small electronics makers are struggling with -- and fighting against -- new state laws mandating they pay for electronic recycling programs for consumers. Five companies, including ViewSonic Corp., CTX Technology Inc. and ToteVision Inc., are threatening litigation against Washington state's new electronic waste law, which requires manufacturers to fund recycling and collection services for old TVs, personal computers and monitors. The companies argue the law, which took effect this year, charges them too much and improperly includes out-of-state businesses. Meanwhile, the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing 2,000 electronics companies, is negotiating with the New York City officials to change a city ordinance that would require electronics companies to pick up old gadgets door-to-door. The CEA says the ordinance, scheduled to take effect July 31, would cost the industry $200 million annually.

Greener Working article by Tom Guay, 6/5/09. "Helping customers cut their energy bills is the essential Green IT strategy driving computer maker HP to expand its Eco Solutions program. The company's specifically targeting small, medium and large businesses that want to cut energy, printing, packaging and paper costs." HP is apparently doubling the "number of ProLiant G6 server platforms that HP says are the most energy efficient on the market."

KVUE News, Austin, TX, 6/23/09. Includes video with reporter Elise Hu. "Austin Democrat Kirk Watson says he's stunned by a veto from Governor Rick Perry of a bill that would have encouraged people to recycle their old TVs instead of throwing them out. Watson's measure would have called for manufacturers to take back their old sets. He says the manufacturers were OK with that, and that's why he's surprised Perry tossed it out. " Comments are interesting--people are perplexed as to why legislation would be necessary to encourage recycling; apparent ignorance of cost associated with electronics recycling.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. Through the incorporation of more user-friendly power management features, we could save approximately 11 billion kWh of electricity per year, cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion per year, and avoid emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO2 each year. In this November 2008 issue paper, NRDC provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines yet to hit the shelves.

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.

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