EIA Hatches Framework for eWaste Legislation

The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) has released a document that may pave the way for federal legislation on recycling television- and computer-related eWaste. In an effort to prevent 'scrambling' the two business models, the plan (pdf here) calls for a two-part financing approach where TVs will be handled differently from IT equipment, such as desktop computers, laptops and computer monitors.

TV collection and recycling would be conducted by a (to be named) third party organization and be supported by a consumer fee at the point of sale. Once a significant number of so-called "legacy" sets are recovered, the fee would expire. Producers of IT equipment would fall under a different shell; they would have to implement a program to collect and recycle their own products at no cost to the consumer. In fact many vendors, such as Dell, already do this.

Obviously, with seven states having already passed eWaste laws and 22 additional states (and New York City) considering their own regs, the EIA plan is an effort to streamline the collection and processing of this junk. Essentially, the idea is to create a Federal eWaste omelet from the existing State eggs. The inherent danger is that the State regs may be watered down - 29 laws are almost certainly more restrictive than just one - but since the proposal captures both the 'consumer pays' and 'corporate pays' models that are currently in use, it's probably a good idea. Break out the beaters! :: Broadcast Newsroom :: EIA

What the Other Guy is Doing

The continuing saga of what other folks are doing. Survey says, the best way to implement change in your organization is to point to what the competition is doing.

Mineral Oil Submerged Computing from Puget Computers.

Via now has ultra-low power laptops.

China goes with crush and zap to recycle circuit boards.

Walmart and Sam's club are now hosting eWaste recycling events.

And Apple's CFO says Microsoft's no threat.

The Parable of the Donkey and the Japanese eWaste

There's is a funny Mexican proverb that goes like this; if one person calls you an ass, take no notice. If two do, be worried. And if three, buy a saddle.

Let's see if we can apply this logic to Japan, who has been suspected of trying to dump their eWaste in other countries as part of self-started 'economic development programs'. For starters, in March Hong Kong sent 131 tons of eWaste back into Japan; they probably were getting some arm twisting to take it. Japan did take it back, but that's one.

Now Basel Action Network (BAN) is announcing that the Philippines is accusing the Japanese of trying to start 'waste colonies' in their countries under the auspice of overseas trade development. That's two. Finally, India is accusing Japan of doing the same thing - dumping eWaste - except there it is under of the pretext of offering 'expertise in recycling' services. That's three; where's the tack shop?:: BAN :: India eNews

Corporate Culture Can Lead to IT Waste

Ted Samson at Infoworld raises an interesting question - why do organizations continue to purchase more computers whenever there's a perceived need for more processing power? Furthermore, according to a report from Gartner (a well respected IT research and advisory company), why are these machines only used at 10% of their capability? Samson argues that this is because computers are inexpensive, and organizations, much like people, seem to be creatures of habits. And habits can be bad.

It's easy to relate this to the environmental movement as a whole; besides the obvious implication for IT shops, it's almost a given that it's easier to do the environmentally wrong thing out of habit, then to do the right thing that might take a little work. Sampson correctly observes that this kind of short-sightedness is now forcing companies into a mad scramble for space in their increasingly cramped data centers, as well as coming up with more dough to pay for increasingly growing energy bills.

Unless companies are willing to tolerate this kind of costly wastefulness, the Gartner report is a real wake-up call. Someone at your company needs to take charge - maybe (as I have suggested) by hiring a chief sustainability officer. Business as usual just isn't an option.

It's Showtime, Apple Shareholders

You might have heard that Apple shareholders have before them a resolution to remove certain hazardous chemicals from their products. The resolution asks Apple to produce a report, within six months of the shareholder meeting, on the feasibility of "eliminating persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals, and all types of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics" from its products. The vote is May 10th.

The Apple board, of which Al Gore is a member, said no. And they voted unanimously. You do the math.

No? This one is a bit of a mystery. To preserve good consumer and investor relations, a little more information than "No" and the one-liner that Apple "already has adequate environmental standards" is required. Combing their site for additional text on the matter didn't turn up anything - you can try. Unlike Greenpeace, this treehugger doesn't feel the need to woodshed them, but this is just weird; are the chemicals not toxic? Is the resolution bullshit? When you are in the spotlight, you need to say something.

Maine Gets Rid of their eWaste

Very interesting one here on Maine's eWaste recycling industry. Uniwaste, the company doing the dismantling, handles 70 percent of the business from Maine, about 50,000 pounds a year.

Naturally, since there is so much of this stuff around, there will be some abuse in the eWaste process. This paragraph brought back memories:

State officials know there can be abuses. Complaints in 2005 led to the discovery of a South Portland warehouse filled with about 150 TV sets and computer monitors. A recycling company apparently sold the more valuable waste and stockpiled the rest, before declaring bankruptcy and leaving the landlord to recycle the waste, officials said.

Reminded me of doing urban planning work in East Orange, NJ, where exactly the same thing happened - companies would rent a warehouse, fill it up with drums of toxic chemicals, and then stop paying the rent. I'm sure we will find more and more of these caches as the work continues.

UN StEPs Up, Japan Down

The UN is moving forward on developing worldwide eScrap standards. The program, called Solving the Ewaste Problem (the StEP initiative) has its own site and an impressive list of charter members - Microsoft, Ericson, Dell, blah, blah, blah. And with 133,000 PCs being thrown out daily in the US alone, it's certainly timely.Recycling eWaste has the added bonus that (unlike some operations) much of this waste is worth some serious cash - floppy disks are only US $100 per ton, but lithium batteries are US $2060. Here's the complete list of eScrap spot prices for the interested. Now where did I park my dump truck.

The UN's efforts will also help put the kabosh on the illegal trade and backroom deals where countries, such as Japan, are trying to dump their eWaste in other countries as part of international business deals. Too bad Hong Kong officials just caught them in the act, and sent a recent 131 ton shipment of eJunk back into Japan. Japan, meet Karma. Karma, Japan.

eWaste -The Curse and the Commodity

There's been a slew of recent ideas on how to address the global eWaste problem. Mike Thompson (D-Calif) has proposed a national 'e-Fee' on electronic devices. This model is called the Advance Recovery Fee (ARF), and it will cost consumers about $10 per device that they will pay up front to recycle the equipment. States and cities have been going in the opposite direction, most preferring the manufacturer responsibility model, where the vendor is billed for the processing fees. Obviously, this is a difference of opinion, and some states like Montana are already going the extra yard, with proposed legislation to get the e-Fee back that you pay to the Feds.

Other countries have different approaches. India has a few straightforward ones - ignore it, or (better?) organize the existing ragpicker army to process the wastestream. And Basel Action Network (BAN) reports that Japan has it's own solution as well - use the junk as a bargaining chip in international trade agreements. You want that new Honda plant? Take 50 tons of old computers...

It will be interesting to see which eWaste strategies will take hold. Will the consumer pay? Will the vendor take it back? Will the government care? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode.

Please, No More IT Charity

There seems to be this unshakeable belief in Western culture that Africa and ilk are simply dying to get a hold of our used electronic gear. With a few exceptions, nothing could be further from the truth; everyone who wants a cell phone in Africa has one, and China is completely sated with this junk. Most donated computers also require software and technical expertise, which recipient countries simply do not have in any great supply. There are still some companies shipping refurb over the waters, most notably Computer Aid International, but I have to say that their time is probably about up, particularly when countries like India are now begging for the charity to stop. Even CNN admits that wealthy nations are Shovelling IT into great big heaps in foreign places.Let's end the snobbery; if your gear isn't good enough for you, it's not good enough for an African, an Indian, or anyone else either. If you are in IT, start accounting for the environmental cost of the equipment that you buy, and start using equipment to failure instead of palming boxes off on local charities or your employees. And if it's your personal gear, think long and hard about the rationale for buying another electronic thingy. Like your cats or your kids, assume it's going to be yours forever.

Raise the Dead

When does your electronic gear die? Usually when its too expensive to fix it, or is superseded by better, more efficient technology. Or maybe never if you owned an eMachine around 1995, pictured at right.

Fact is, we probably throw these things out too soon, especially when you have dudes like Lance Ulanoff giving tips on how to fix them. I read the article and laughed because most of the time he's fixing these things in 5 minutes; it's too true, most of the time the fix is very easy. I fixed a laptop once that had a whole can of soda poured into it, and it only took about an hour.

Of course, the US doesn't have the culture for fixing things like the Chinese and their cell phones, the Cubans and their cars, and Indian and their locomotives. Maybe it's time to try and raise the dead.

Wildfire

I love Harperesque lists of facts. Here's one on eWaste:

• Amount of eWaste recycled in Billings, Montana last year, in tons: 80
• Number of commercial US jet fleets that could be produced with the aluminum America throws away each year: 1
• Number of states that mandate that all computer waste from governmental agencies be refurbished by prison labor: 1 (Texas)
• Ratio that the Australian eWaste stream is growing, as compared to other waste streams: 3 to 1
• Number of computers thrown out in America each day; 130,000
• Breakeven point between servicing a laptop and buying a new one, in months: 18
• Number of cell phones thrown out in one year, in America: 130,000,000
• Cost of the planned tax on garbage that the UK plans to implement, in pounds per month: 10

Everybody Wants a Piece of eWaste

There's been lots of movement on the eWaste front, as ruling body after ruling body starts getting serious about the issue. Oregon is trying for the third time (the charm) to get an electronics recycling bill in place, with obvious embarrassment I might add. Looks like they are going to go with the manufacturer's responsibility model.

Saskatchewan is now requiring consumers to foot the bill, by tacking on fees when the items are purchased. Some of the fees are pretty weighty - $10 for a desktop, up to $45 for a TV. Personally, this is my favorite scheme as it encourages "Reduce" more than any other.

At the national level, several countries such as India realize that they have to do something. In India, the problem is two-fold; not only must they deal with their own waste stream, but also the waste coming from the US because its ten times cheaper to process there. Looks like the manufacturers' responsibility model is in the lead. In addition, Greenpeace has reported that Mexico, China, Thailand, and the Philippines all have groundwater contamination from electronic waste. That should get some politicians interested.