Transcript Computer and Electronics Recycling

Electronics Recycling:
What it is & Impacts on
Solid Waste Facilities
SWANA Colorado Chapter
September 12, 2003
Anne Peters, Gracestone, Inc.
for the
Colorado Dept. of Public Health and the Environment
The Colorado CRT Recycling
Pilot Project
• 2000 CO state legislature enacted
legislation on CRT recycling:
– To educate business and residents.
– To help build the infrastructure for better
recycling.
• Project of CO Dept. of Public Health
& Environment’s Hazardous
Materials & Waste Management
Division
Why is it a problem?
• Computers double in speed and capacity every 18 months
• 4 million tons of scrap electronics discarded annually in the
US
• Computers contain hazardous wastes that can pollute the
environment.
Why are scrap electronics
a problem in CO?
Estimated Number of CRTs in Colorado
12,000,000
Monitors from CII
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Monitors from
Households
TVs from CII
TVs from
Households
Fate of Obsolete CRTs in Colorado
(Preliminary Results)
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
Recycled CRTs
600,000
Stored CRTs
400,000
200,000
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Landfilled CRTs
The environmental risk:
Computer Component
Hazardous Material
Monitor
Pb in glass
Printed circuit boards
Batteries
Pb, Cr, Cd, Hg, As, Ag,
CCl4
Lead, cadmium,
mercury, lithium
Flat Panel displays
Mercury
Plastics
Brominated Flame
Retardants (PBDE, PBB)
Older circuit boards
(early 80s)
PCBs
Other toxic chemicals from
electronics:
• Mercury - damages brain, kidneys,
fetus; travels easily in the food chain
– PBT - persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic
• Cadmium - damages kidneys (PBT)
• Chromium VI - damages DNA
• Toners - carbon black - respiratory
problems; may be carcinogenic
source: Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition
Potential Toxics in Landfill from CRTs
(Preliminary
Results)
16,000
14,000
12,000
Phosphor
Tons
10,000
Chromium
Barium
8,000
Plastics
6,000
Lead
4,000
Leaded Glass
2,000
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
CRTs & Pb
• Frit - low-temperature solder glass with
high lead content. Seals funnel to front
panel after color phosphor pattern is put
in place inside the front panel.
• To shield user from radioactivity
produced within CRT, lead is added to
neck and funnel glass.
• Lead causes discoloration, so barium is
usually added to panel glass.
CRT Pb TCLP Test Findings
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CRT tests show 18.5 mg/L Pb
Exceeds regulated limit: 5 mg/L
Pb found in glass, funnel, neck.
More Pb in color monitors
Monochrome CRTs are okay
CPUs, televisions, cell phones all
probably fail TCLP tests, too
Pb Risk in Context:
EPA Landfill estimates (‘95)
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Pb Acid storage batteries
CRTs (TVs & monitors)
Other electronics
Glass & ceramics products
Plastics
Other products
64%
29%
1%
3%
1%
1%
Central Processing Units
(CPUs)
• Preliminary results indicate that many
electronic devices with printed circuit
boards possess a reasonable likelihood
of exhibiting the toxicity characteristic
for lead (and other metals).
• Results indicate that CPUs are likely to
be hazardous waste, too.
Townsend et. al. 2002
It’s the law!
• Businesses are prohibited from
disposing of hazardous wastes in the
trash.
• RCRA, CERCLA (Superfund)
• CERCLA reserves the right to assign
liability later for disposal of
materials.
Household Hazardous
Waste
exclusion - for recyclers & brokers
• Unless residential devices are kept
segregated from non-residential
devices, all co-mingled equipment
must be managed as though it were
from non-residential sources.
• Important if a business or institutions
brings e-scrap to community
collection event.
Business responsibility
for e-scrap
• Electronics are hazardous waste if
sent for disposal (HH exemption)
• It is illegal for business to dispose of
hazardous waste in landfills
• If electronics are not disposed, they
are not regulated as haz waste.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle is the
solution
Scrap electronics: assumed to be waste if
stored in a manner inconsistent with it being
a product or commodity with value.
Waste
Product
Is it waste or not?
Unwanted electronics equipment owned by a
business.
Working or non-working?
If
working…
Donate for
reuse
Not regulated
as hazardous
waste.
Put in trash:
Regulated as hazardous
waste. ILLEGAL
Pay for or be paid by
recycler or broker to
take equipment to
resell or refurbish.
Not regulated as
hazardous waste.
Pieces and parts from refurbishing
or repair are put in trash:
potential CERCLA
liability
Regulated as hazardous waste.
ILLEGAL
If not
working…
Send for
diagnosis and
repair.
Not regulated as
hazardous waste.
Donate to nonprofit
for refurbishing
Not regulated as
hazardous waste.
What should you do?
• Tell landfill customers the law.
• Work to establish diversion options
for e-scrap for business & residential
streams.
• Ensure end-of-life computers are
recycled or managed in compliance
with hazardous waste laws, as a
Universal Waste
• Green your jurisdiction’s
electronics.
Building an Electronics
Recycling Infrastructure
• Periodic collection vs. permanent
service?
• Bundle with other hazardous waste
diversion services?
• Add to scrap recycling infrastructure?
• Who supports development costs?
• Political action: influence policy,
manufacturers?
Colorado Lessons Learned:
Collection Events & More
scores of collection events
around state in past 3 years
but be careful what
you ask for...
Denver collected 275 Tons
of e-scrap in one day - 5/03
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Careful planning pays off
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Publicity makes all the difference - brochures available
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Tremendous unmet demand
Landfills are being used more and more for
collection events
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Collection Event #1
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First Electronics Collection Event in 2001
Staff trained by volunteering and
assisting in other community events
Self-funded through sponsorships and
organizational operating costs
Location: Middle School
Fees for participants ($5 monitor, $3 CPU)
22,000 pounds of material collected
We made about $500!
Shift to Ongoing Collection?
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Volume of calls increased after August
2001 Collection Event
SRP launches on-going collection in
December 2001 for 4-month trial period
Saturdays Only (10am to 2pm)
Storage in small “shack”
High costs: $25 per monitor, $15 per CPU,
TVs $25 to $65
Low-volume trips to Denver
On-going Problems
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Electronics were frequently dropped off
(unpaid) in appliance and scrap metal area
Low-volume runs resulted in high cost to
participants
The Mixed Message: Electronics are NOT
just like any other recyclable; similar to
HHW
Single-Day Collection sends better
message
TVs Come in All Sizes!
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Difficult to weigh
Difficult to stack
Difficult to ship efficiently
Our population demands it; most survey
respondents cited environmental reasons
for participating.
Event #3…It Keeps Growing!
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Coupled in May 2003 with Town Clean-Up
Days
Joint Advertising from coupling events
3 Separate Collection Points
Slight Increase in Fees from 2002
Full Tractor Trailer – just monitors, CPS,
and TVs.
Again, TVs were difficult to stack & ship
Choosing a recycler
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What do they do to recycle?
Can they help with logistics?
Labor source?
Regulatory compliance?
Sound, ethical business practices?
Need for legitimating credential…
Involve local businesses, non-profits
Then - set criteria that meets your goals.
Legitimate recyclers will:
• Tell how they manage e-scrap.
• Tell how they process e-scrap.
• Document where components or
devices go for reuse, recycling, or
disposal.
• Generally charge a fee for their
services.
• Usually manage electronics as
universal wastes.
Overseas issues
• Much media coverage in early 2002.
• Documentation of shocking
“recycling” practices in Asia.
Source: Basel Action
Network 2001
More photos from
Guiyi Province, China
Learn more at
www.svtc.org
Source: Basel Action
Network 2001
How to “green”
electronics purchase?
• Change the bid language
• Change the purchase terms
– lease vs. buy
• Drive manufacturer responsibility
– require takeback of obsolete computers
– ask for assurance of recycling of your old
equipment
– impact toxicity, ergonomics, energy use,
packaging etc. to reduce waste
Where Europe is going
European Union Directive 2002/95/EC 1/27/03
• Waste electrical and electronic waste
(WEEE). By 2005 authorities must:
– Legislate free take back of waste goods
– Ensure that OEMs finance the collection,
treatment, recovery and disposal of all waste.
• Restriction on hazardous substances
(RoHS) in manufactured equipment law:
– OEMs must cease using Pb, Hg, cadmium,and
hex-chromium, or the brominated flame
retardants PBDE and PBB, in products after
7/1/06.
What’s happening elsewhere in
the country - trends to watch
for companies with national presence
• NEPSI pressure
• Market in flux while infrastructure
develops & stakeholders position
• State laws vary - MA, FL
• Manufacturers shifting roles - Dell
takeback campaign
For more information:
Anne Peters
Gracestone, Inc.
Colorado Dept. of Public
Health and the Environment
for the
303.494.4934 voice
303.494.4880 fax
[email protected]