Links to images of old televisions. Royalty free, but initial price for downloading.

From Environmental Leader, 7/6/09. Highlights of IBM's 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report. Includes link to PDF of the report.

Proceedings for the Institution of Civil Engineers, Municipal Engineer 162, June 2009, Issue ME2, pages 79-85. Written by J. Ye, S. Kayaga, & I. Smout. This paper provides a situational analysis and discusses the basic elements of the existing legislative framework for e-waste management in China. The paper concludes with an analysis of opportunities and challenges that exist in improving the enabling/regulatory environment for a hazardous but valuable commodity in a fast-growing economy.

6/30/09. Wisconsin businesses, institutions, local governments and organizations involved in recycling and refurbishing unwanted electronics have new tools to help them comply with state and federal regulations and plan successful electronics collection events. Includes information & links to a new WDNR guidance document, which ummarizes requirements that have been in effect since 2007 and includes a flow chart to help electronics handlers determine which regulations apply to them. Also includes links to a document providing tips for hosting a successful electronics recycling event.

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.

6/30/09. "An EU strategy on preventing and recycling waste aims to pave the way towards a recycling society by decoupling economic growth from natural resource use. But questions remain over whether the issue should be dealt with at national or European level, and on how to reconcile the EU's ecological and internal market objectives in the long run." Includes links to more info. on topic, milestones, policy summary with links, an overview of issues, and the positions of various officials on the subject.

Article from The Times of India, 6/30/09. Features comments from state environment secretary and chairperson of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) Valsa R Nair Singh on draft environmental policy. Some quotes related to e-waste (see annotations).

"EPA's DfE Program and the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) entered into a voluntary partnership with representatives of the wire and cable industry to evaluate the environmental impacts of the current standard material formulations and alternative formulations. Specifically, the partnership used a life-cycle assessment approach to examine the impacts of heat stabilizers, polymer systems and flame retardants used in insulation and jacketing for selected wire and cable products. This information will address the information gap on the environmental impacts of the different materials used in wire and cable insulation, and help companies make environmentally sound product and material choices."

"To address the information gap on the environmental impacts of leaded and lead-free solders, EPA's DfE Program entered into a voluntary partnership with representatives of the electronics industry and other interested parties to evaluate the environmental impacts of tin-lead and lead-free solders (see the Partners page of this website for more information on project partners). The partnership used a life-cycle assessment approach to examine the impacts of tin-lead, tin-copper, tin-silver-copper, and tin-silver-copper-bismuth solders. " Site includes general project information, milestones, publications and a list of partners.

"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.

"The DfE Printed Wiring Board (PWB) Partnership encouraged the use of technologies that improve both environmental performance and competitiveness of the PWB industry. Traditional methods for manufacturing PWBs: Use toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, that pose potential health and environmental risks; Use substantial amounts of water and energy;Generate large volumes of hazardous waste. The DfE Program partners, including the national PWB trade association, have examined alternative technologies that reduce or eliminate these impacts." Site includes general project information, findings & accomplishments, publications, and a list of partners.

potential for ADOP2T pilot projects involving IT virtualization

Text of the pending Wisconsin e-waste law. This bill passed the WI Senate and arrived in the Assembly Tuesday, 6/16/09. Would require manufacturers of select consumer electronics (computers, printers and video display devices, such as TVs or monitors) to collect and recycle 80 percent of the weight of sold devices beginning in September. Beginning in February 2010, retailers can't sell electronics made by manufacturers that are not registered with WDNR. Manufacturers failing to meet their targets would be subject to a shortfall fee after 2010. Those who exceed their goals may be eligible for recycling credits. (Summary of bill taken from related article in GreenerComputing, 6/16/09.)

Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) report card providing the organization's grades for television manufacturer/retailers based upon availability and scope of television take back recycling programs offered; the volume & visibility of those programs; public policy on recycling; and how responsible the offered recycling is. The full report can be downloaded from this URL in PDF format. Site also includes an explanation of the grading system, a chart showing the number of collection sites for each company, a link to the previous year's report, and information on how to find a local responsible recycler (U.S.A.). Individual company names can be clicked on to download the the company's individual report card.

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.

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.

'Analysts say going green has become a business plan for some of the biggest personal computer (PC) makers as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition, reports Reuters. The "green" talk is going over the top as computer makers spar with one another over who has the most "green" platform.' Discussion of some environmental claims made by top PC manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, & Apple. Environmental Leader, 6/22/09.