WASTE NOT, WANT NOT WN2 INSTITUTE Environmental Issues of EWaste

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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! (WN)2 INSTITUTEEnvironmental
Issues of E-Waste

• Train-the-Trainer Workshop
• June 14 18th, 2004
• Center for Mathematics and Science Education
• University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
• Presented and Hosted
• by
• A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded
  institute sponsored by the University of Arkansas
  and the Center for Mathematics and Science
  Education

Lynne Hehr Director, Center for Mathematics and
Science Education University of Arkansas
Stephan Pollard Doctoral Student, Environmental
Dynamics Ph.D. Program University of Arkansas
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SOLUTIONS They Exist!
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Current electronic waste pathways
include Annual or periodic collection
community -sponsored one or two day collection
event held once a year at a local drop-off site.
In addition, these events are sometimes sponsored
by retailers or other entities in a community
other than the government agency. On-going
community collection community drop-off site
for continuing collection of end-of-life
electronics, commonly located at a recycling
center or a transfer station. Broker/processor/re
cycler companies engaged in the business of
collection or receiving end-of-life electronics
to be recycled or resold. Reuse/donation
mission-driven non-profit organizations who
facilitate the redistribution of working
computers to schools, churches and needy
populations, and provide a tax credit to donors.
Auction/employee sales organizations can
dispose of end-of-life electronics through public
auction or by selling equipment to
employees. Traditional waste disposal end of
life electronics can be disposed of through
traditional waste collection, ending up in
landfills. Storage/surplus some people and
organizations choose to stockpile electronics by
storing in storage rooms, warehouses, basements,
attics and garages. Take back programs some
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have
developed programs to take back their products at
the end-of-life. Typically, there is a fee for
mailing back. and the items are then recycled by
the OEM or a service provider to the OEM.
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Solutions The Less-than-Optimal Current Practice

• Export of pollution absolves manufacturers of
  the need to prevent hazards and wastes upstream
  through product design
• A majority of electronic waste (E-waste)
  collected by recyclers, much of it hazardous, is
  actually exported to developing countries1.
  There the recycling or direct dumping of the
  material results in a serious export of pollution
  to those countries. Environmental protections
  in developing countries are usually poor
• Pollution Costs are being Externalized rather
  than Internalized
• 2Putting E-waste into solid waste management
  systems -- landfills and incinerators is yet
  another way of externalizing costs - this time to
  be absorbed by local governments, taxpayers and
  communities in degraded health, contaminated
  water and air.
• Yet another means of externalizing real costs
  for e-waste has been the use of taxpayer
  subsidized prison labor. Prisons are likely to
  unfairly compete with private sector recycling
  and thus deter the vitally needed development of
  a private sector infrastructure for domestic
  waste recycling. Further, it provides a form of
  corporate subsidy to manufacturers for
  downstream pollution management, instead of more
  appropriate upstream pollution management.
• 1 Exporting Harm http//www.svtc.org/cleancc/pub
  s/technotrash.pdf
• 2 Ibid

Source http//www.computertakeback.com/the_soluti
ons/information_for_recyclers/index.cfm
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What do you have?
A) Clean stuff appropriate for auction
(Sorted, working, repairable monitors,
peripherals, cords, cartridges, etc.) 1) Then
you can probably deal with any E-Cycler
directly. 2) Take to Household Hazardous Waste
collection point. 3) Donate (if less than
3-years old, and has Pentium processor) 4)
Dispose through Manufacturer Take-Back
programs B) Toxic junk, contraband, leftovers
(TVs, obsolete stuff, cherry-picked material,
residue, damaged CRTs, etc.) 1) You want
domestic processing. Ask E-Cyclers where
processing occurs. 2) Take to Household
Hazardous Waste collection point. C) I dunno
a mix of good, bad, and ugly stuff (A
mixture of A and B) 1) You want to ship your
stuff to a domestic E-Cycler that separates,
processes and markets, and you should get
documentation. 2) Take to Household Hazardous
Waste collection point.
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4 Due Diligence Tests for Your E-Cyclers
Because you want your discards handled in the
most socially and environmentally responsible
fashion.
1) CRT Glass Test 2) Printed Circuit Board
(PCB) Gold Test 3) Truth in Exporting
Test 4) Employment / Capacity Test
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4 Due Diligence Tests for Your E-Cyclers
1) CRT Glass Test
No known market in Asia for monitor and
television CRT glass. E-Cyclers should show
where the non-repairable glass goes.
Photos Basel Action Network
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4 Due Diligence Tests for Your E-Cyclers
2) Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Gold Test
The process of extracting gold from PCBs is
chemically intensive. The mining gold has
resulted in large-scale environmental degradation
(cyanide tailings in streams and
rivers) E-Cyclers should be able to document
where printed circuit boards are processed.
Photo Reuters
Photo Basel Action Network Chinese circuit board
/ gold extractor
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4 Due Diligence Tests for Your E-Cyclers
3) Truth in Exporting Test
Ask the E-Cycler for shipping manifests but know
that sensitive market info can be withheld.
Valid Bill of Lading will indicate Make Model
Voltage Condition The pickier the E-Cycler
is about sending stuff overseas the better. If
stuff is being sent for repair ask if it is
wrapped, tested, sorted, and manifested.
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4 Due Diligence Tests for Your E-Cyclers
4) Employment / Capacity Test
Ask the E-Cycler 1) How many tons the company
handled last year? 2) How many Full-Time
Equivalent (FTE) employees the company had last
year? Determine how many employees the company
had per ton. If the number of employees is low
ask how much automated processing equipment is in
place. If there were only a few employees and
lots and lots of tons handled then be suspicious.
E-Cycler could be shipping perfectly good stuff
out and therefore abusing the REUSE concept
(cords, power supplies, CD-ROM drives, etc.).
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Look for E-Cyclers with De-Manufacturing
Processes Similar to This
DISASSEMBLY (Initial Recycling)
SEGREGATION of COMPONENTS
Approved Containers
Approved Containers
Pelletize
Approved Containers
Pelletize
Pelletize
Battery Recycler
Printed CB Recycler
C W Recycler
Broker
Plastic Recycler
Monitor Recycler
Note The above is an approximate representation
of the process used by Image Microsystems,
Austin, TX, an E-Cycler that has agreed to Pledge
of True Stewardship
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E-CYCLERS that have taken the Pledge of True
Stewardship
Western US
Central US
Eastern US
California Hackett Enterprises
TrueCycle United Datatech Distributors
Zak Enterprises    Computer Recyclers of
America Electronics Partners Corporation
(ePC) Image Arts Foundation eWaste,
Inc.   Nevada Global Investment Recovery,
Inc. Redemtech, Inc Washington PC
Salvage, LLC Re-PC Total Reclaim
The RE Store
Colorado Guaranteed Recycling Xperts
(GRX) Illinois Sipi Metals Michigan
ReCellular, Inc. Ohio Redemtech,
Inc Tennessee 5R Processors Texas
Resource Concepts, Inc. Image
Microsystems Wisconsin Cascade Asset Mgmt.,
LLC Scientific Recycling, Inc. 5R
Processors
Connecticut Asset Recovery
Corp. Florida                    Maxim
Industries USA Global Investment Recovery,
Inc. Georgia 5R Processors New York
Complex Elements Corporation 5R
Processors Pennsylvania A greenSpan
Computer Stewardship and Recycling Co
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E-Waste Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Baxter County Baxter County Road Bridge
Dept.2033 Highway 5 South(870) 425-3695open 8
a.m. - Noon, Mondays ONLY, or by appointment 
Benton County Rogers areaCall
Haz-M.E.R.T.[phone]open 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
(M-F), 8 a.m. - Noon (Sat)  Siloam Springs
areaCall Siloam Springs Recycling Center
Transfer Station,[phone]open 8 a.m. - 4
p.m. (M-F), 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Sat)  Carroll
County Carroll County Solid Waste Authority
Transfer Station1106 Industrial Park Rd.,
Berryville(870) 423-7156 or [phone]open
8 a.m. - 3 p.m. (M-F), 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.
(Sat)  Franklin County Ozark Transfer
Station16-1/2 Airport Rd.[phone]open
730 a.m. - 330 p.m. (M-F), 730 a.m. - 1230
p.m. (Sat) Madison County Madison County
Recycling Center [phone] E-Mail
recycle_at_madisoncounty.net open 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
(M-F), 9 a.m. - noon (Sat)
Pulaski County Pulaski County Regional Solid
Waste Management District 410 W 3rd St Ste
210 Little Rock, AR 72201 [phone] Fax
[phone] E-Mail jwilson_at_pulaskiswdistrict.o
rg Link to rotating Household Hazardous Waste
Collection sites Scott County Waldron Transfer
Station 250 Pine St [phone] open 800 a.m.
- 1130 a.m. and 1230 p.m. - 430 p.m. (M-F)
Sebastian County County landfill 5900 Commerce
Road [phone] or [phone] open 730
a.m. - 430 p.m. (M-F), 730 a.m. - 330 p.m.
(Sat) Washington County Springdale Street
Department Randall Wobbe Road [phone] 730
a.m. - 4 p.m., Mondays ONLY Tri-County Solid
Waste 2615 Brink Dr, Fayetteville [phone]
or [phone] open 800 a.m. - 4 p.m.
(M-F) HHW Brochure
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Manufacturer Take Back
Services Dell's recycling service accepts all
brand computer equipment including monitors,
CPUs, laptops, printers, peripherals and Dell
brand ink and toner cartridges. Materials are
picked up at home or business by a carrier. Visit
the website to order the service and instructions
on packaging and shipping. Restrictions The
package must weigh less than 50 pounds. Cost
15.00 to recycle a package of equipment weighing
up to 50 lbs. Services HPs computer take-back
program accepts any piece of computer hardware
from any manufacturer. The service can be order
on-line. When you order the hardware recycling
service through April 31st 2005 HP will provide
an e-coupon that can be used toward the purchase
of new HP hardware at HPShopping.com. See the
website for more details. Restrictions There
are limits on the number of items that can be
packaged per shipment. Visit the web site for
more details. Cost The on-line service ranges
from 13 to 34 per item, depending upon the type
and quantity of hardware returned. Services The
IBM PC Recycling Service allows consumers and
businesses to recycle any manufacturer's PCs,
including system units, monitors, printers and
optional attachments for 29.99 which includes
shipping. Purchase the PC Recycling Service by
calling 1-888-746-7426. Ask for part number
06P7513. The "part" is a mailing label from UPS
good for mailing one box, up to 26"x26"x26" and
up to 69 pounds. Multiple units may be shipped in
the same box. Restrictions Size and weight
restrictions, see web site or call for details.
Cost 29.99 per box, including shipping.
Dell Computer Hardware Recycling ServicePhone
1-800-915-3355 Email environment_policy_at_dell.com
Visit the Dell Web site http//www.dell4me.com/r
ecycling Hewlett-Packard Visit the
Hewlett-Packard Web site http//www.hp.com/recycle
IBMPhone 1-888-746-7426 Visit the
IBM Web site http//www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st
ores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId1915868stor
eId1langId-1catalogId-840
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Cash for Cell Phones
OldCellPhone.com www.oldcellphone.com
CellForCash.com www.cellforcash.com
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Cell Phones for Donation
CollectiveGood www.collectivegood.com
Donate a Phone Program www.wirelessrecycling.com
Wireless Phone Donation-Collection
www.recyclewirelessphones.com