SierraScape December 2003 - January 2004
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By Alicia Scott

What is the fastest growing waste stream in the world today, one containing lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and PCBs as well as plastics? Electronic or e waste. Almost all of us have at least some of these products in our homes; televisions, computers, cell phones, stereo equipment, all of the electronic goods that people find so indispensable in our modern age. Unfortunately many of these products do not live long lives and their disposal is creating a new source of environmental headaches.

According to a survey done in St. Louis County in December of 2001, there are one and a half million PCs, laptops and TVs in use in the county and over 180,000 TVs, PCs, and laptops that are not in use. Of the households surveyed, 57% have at least one PC and 98% have at least one TV. 73.8% of respondents say they will replace their PC every four years while 92.5% say they get a new TV every four years. Obviously all of this equipment needs to go somewhere when it is no longer needed.

Increasingly, Third World countries are becoming the destination for the mountains of e waste generated in the United States. India, Pakistan and China import tons of electronic waste for recycling though both India and China have recently banned its importation. These bans do not stop the flow however and the waste is mostly being processed in ways disastrous to both the environment and the health of the local populations. Streams and rivers are polluted with heavy metals and people are exposed to carcinogenic smoke when wires are burned to extract copper. Often men, women and children are working without protection pouring acid on electronic parts to extract gold and silver or smashing cathode ray tubes (each monitor or TV contains 4-8 pounds of lead).

What should we do when we have obsolete or non-working electronic waste? Unfortunately, there is no easy one-size-fits-all answer. Options in the St. Louis area for donating used PCs include schools that will sometimes take a working PC. Non-profit organizations such as Web Innovations and Technology Services (WITS) will take PCs to refurbish and use in their training programs. (Check out their website at www.witsinc.org) There are companies in the area that recycle e waste, but be sure to question them about what ultimately happens to the waste they receive. (Go to the St. Louis County Health Department website for companies that take e waste-www.stlouisco.com/doh/environ/recycler/waste_mg.html) Some manufacturers, such as Dell, have recycling programs as well and will take back old computers when you purchase a new one. Recently Best Buy sponsored a collection day for e waste. You might consider upgrading your current equipment if possible, to extend its life.

Currently the St. Louis County Health Department is participating in a task force comprised of representatives of local governments, regulatory agencies, electronics recyclers, the solid waste industry, non-profit organizations and interested citizens that hopes to develop guidelines for a long term, sustainable recycling program, and to recommend legislative policies and regulatory guidelines. These guidelines would be for a proposed regional program and in anticipation of national product stewardship initiatives. Successful programs from elsewhere around the county include a strong education program, procuring a dedicated source of funding, charging an upfront recycle fee when purchasing electronic equipment, convenient drop-off location(s) and moving away from collection events to an ongoing permanent program. For more information contact Laura Yates, Solid Waste Administrative Specialist Saint Louis County Health Department at Lyates@stlouisco.com

As citizens concerned about the environment, Sierra Club members need to set an example of responsible reuse or disposal of all waste including electronic waste. We cannot close our eyes to this growing problem and need to become involved in finding solutions.