Problems in a Toxic Computer Landfill
Published Thursday, February 23, 2006 by Justin Mitchell | E-mail this post
There is a serious problem with unwanted, defective computers and it is only getting worse. According to US News, an estimated 133,000 Computers are retired every day, with less than 15% ever recycled. The Computer Take Back Campaign states that "discarded computers and other consumer electronics (so called e-waste) are the fastest growing portion of our waste stream -- growing almost 3 times faster than our overall municipal waste stream. "
CTBC continues:
""Discarded computers and electronics are toxic hazardous waste. The hundreds of millions of obsolete computers contain a total of more than 1 billion pounds of lead. About 40% of the heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills come from electronic equipment discards. The health effects of lead are well known; just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury can contaminate 20 acres of a lake, making the fish unfit to eat.
Recycling computers isn't like recycling old cardboard. Less than 10% of discarded computers are currently recycled. What happens to the rest? Many older computers are either stored (in basements, garages, offices, closets and homes awaiting a decision) or increasingly tossed out with the trash out of ignorance of the hazards contained in them (and ignorance to the law since the EPA banned the dumping of computers in '92.
And what about the 10% that are recycled? Some discarded equipment is handled by firms that operate under strict environmental controls and high worker safety protections. Many other firms do not operate under strict controls, removing the valuable metals from the equipment and sending the remaining scrap to landfills or incinerators.
Without adequate protections, workers dismantling discarded electronic equipment are exposed to many chemical compounds with known and suspected negative health effects. Considerably more equipment -- one estimate sets the figure as high as 80% of collected e-waste -- is shipped overseas for dismantling under horrific conditions, poisoning the people, land, air, and water in China, other Asian nations, and possibly Mexico as well.
Massachusetts and California have banned computer monitors and other picture tube devices from their landfills, while other states have moved to outlaw the disposal of particular toxins contained in electronic equipment—such as lead and mercury. Last month, state senators in California proposed legislation that would impose a disposal fee on computers sold there. -http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0213/news-fullerton.php""
Check out this link from the Clean Computer Campaign to see a breakdown of all of the hazardous chemicals in you computer: Computer Toxics
To find out about local computer recycling near Oshkosh, check out this ABV update -
CTBC continues:
""Discarded computers and electronics are toxic hazardous waste. The hundreds of millions of obsolete computers contain a total of more than 1 billion pounds of lead. About 40% of the heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills come from electronic equipment discards. The health effects of lead are well known; just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury can contaminate 20 acres of a lake, making the fish unfit to eat.
Recycling computers isn't like recycling old cardboard. Less than 10% of discarded computers are currently recycled. What happens to the rest? Many older computers are either stored (in basements, garages, offices, closets and homes awaiting a decision) or increasingly tossed out with the trash out of ignorance of the hazards contained in them (and ignorance to the law since the EPA banned the dumping of computers in '92.
And what about the 10% that are recycled? Some discarded equipment is handled by firms that operate under strict environmental controls and high worker safety protections. Many other firms do not operate under strict controls, removing the valuable metals from the equipment and sending the remaining scrap to landfills or incinerators.
Without adequate protections, workers dismantling discarded electronic equipment are exposed to many chemical compounds with known and suspected negative health effects. Considerably more equipment -- one estimate sets the figure as high as 80% of collected e-waste -- is shipped overseas for dismantling under horrific conditions, poisoning the people, land, air, and water in China, other Asian nations, and possibly Mexico as well.
Massachusetts and California have banned computer monitors and other picture tube devices from their landfills, while other states have moved to outlaw the disposal of particular toxins contained in electronic equipment—such as lead and mercury. Last month, state senators in California proposed legislation that would impose a disposal fee on computers sold there. -http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0213/news-fullerton.php""
Check out this link from the Clean Computer Campaign to see a breakdown of all of the hazardous chemicals in you computer: Computer Toxics
To find out about local computer recycling near Oshkosh, check out this ABV update -
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