In 2005, approximately 45 million computers around the world were discarded, and this figure is expected to rise annually. This figure does not include other electronic devices such as mobile phones and PDAs.
To combat the mounting waste problem, governments have passed increasingly stringent laws relating to the disposal of electronic devices. For example, California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota have all outlawed the disposal of computer waste in landfills. In 2003 alone, 23 states initiated legislation to regulate the disposal of computer waste. For a detailed list of initiatives by U.S. states, refer to the McLean Report template, "Environmental Legislative Initiatives."
The option of simply throwing electronic equipment away with conventional waste is no longer viable. As an alternative, enterprises are required to contract professional companies specializing in the disposal of computer-related waste. It is important to select a reputable recycler, as there have been incidents where the recycler never processed the waste and simply sent it to be buried in developing countries with slack environmental laws.
Some municipalities may have computer-waste recycling programs available; though, these programs are generally operated for the residential sector only. However, enterprises are frequently welcome to utilize these programs as long as they offer advanced notice due to generally having larger volumes of computer waste. These specialty recycling programs are often sponsored by electronic device manufacturers and are free of charge. For example, Morris County (NJ) has "Electronic Recycling Days" sponsored by Intel, for collecting items including "monitors, printers, keyboards, VCRs, terminals, cables, fax machines, radios, modems, CRTs, telephones, TVs, CPUs, copiers, typewriters and stereo equipment." Enterprises should look to take advantage of these programs whenever possible as they are more cost-effective than professional recycling firms.
Where government programs are not responsible, enterprises can look for recyclers specializing in the disposal of electronic materials. A local service provider can be found on the Directory of the North American Electronics Recycling Industry. However, these services come at a price. For a full-service disposal that includes removal, transportation, and recycling, the fees can exceed $300 per machine. The service is expensive because the process is labor intensive and pollutants within the machines require special treatment. Before disposal, enterprises should consider a cascading method where older machines could be reassigned to users with lower processing requirements. For more information on cascading, ITA Premium members can refer to the research note, "Workstation Migration: Explore Alternate Routes to the Same Destination."
Use government-sponsored recycling programs. Whenever possible, avoid paying for electronic waste removal. Save money by taking enterprise computer waste to a municipal recycling center.
Take advantage of manufacturer trade-in programs. When new computer equipment is purchased through trade-in programs, the cost of the new devices is reduced and unwanted devices are disposed of properly.
Choose a recycler that is transparent about how waste is processed. Enterprises must take into consideration not only regulation compliance issues, but also the environmental issues associated with the disposal of electronic waste. Recyclers that simply ship the waste overseas should not be used.
New environmental regulations mean that there is now a cost to enterprises associated with the disposal of computer-related equipment. Take advantage of government-sponsored recycling centers and trade-in programs to reduce the costs of disposal. The earlier an IT manager disposes of used equipment, the more likely there will be some residual value to be salvaged.
Directive 2002/95/EC places restrictions on the use of heavy metals and toxic flame retardants in electronics. To find out more about the EU's new environmental mandates, Info-Tech Advisor members can refer to the research note, "New Euro-Laws Save the Environment."
