The Goodwill Houston Computer Works store provides free computer recycling and sells hardware and software. Photo by Kimberly Stauffer

Known as e-waste, old electronics are often landfilled, allowing dangerous elements like lead, cadmium and mercury to leak and soak into the earth and groundwater. According to the Texas Campaign for the Environment, more than 80 percent of electronics are thrown out and account for 40 percent of the lead and 70 percent of the heavy metals in landfills.

As these numbers increase with more Americans buying and trashing electronics, groups like Go Green Coles Crossing are providing the community with opportunities to help the environment without ever leaving their neighborhood.

“Our group started as an effort to bring recycling to Coles Crossing,” said Ana Fernandez Frank, a member of the local organization. The group launched its first electronics recycling effort three years ago and was shocked with the success.

“We were overwhelmed by how much stuff we got,” she said.

This year’s event, held in March, collected several truckloads of materials that can either be recycled or refurbished. The group holds the recycling drive in the parking lot in front of the Coles Crossing neighborhood.

“I think the key to these events is to do it super locally,” Fernandez Frank said. “People are all for convenience. We don’t have the time to take things someplace else even when they’ll take it for free. But people feel really good when they can recycle it instead of trashing it and leaking all sorts of chemicals. It’s a win-win situation because it’s convenient to people and they feel like they’re doing the right thing.”

State mandate

While mostly unknown to the public, Texas created a law in 2008 requiring all computer manufacturers to provide free recycling services for their equipment. Called the Texas Take Back program, the initiative requires companies to take responsibility for their products.

Dell Computers partnered with Goodwill Industries International Inc. to start Computer Works, a retail storefront that came to Houston in 2008 to make recycling and refurbishing services easily available. People can donate computer hardware or software and accessories to any Goodwill location.

The nonprofit organization works closely with Dell to follow the company’s guidelines on how to de-manufacture computers that are no longer useful and salvage parts or systems that can be resold.

“We also use local recyclers that are Dell-approved so we can make sure what we’re recycling is not going out in unapproved ways,” said Kate Lucrezi, director of development for Goodwill.

The program not only allows people to donate old computers instead of trashing them, but also provides Goodwill with the opportunity to sell usable parts to benefit the organization’s mission.

“It’s a win-win situation all around,” Lucrezi said. “It’s free, and we try to make it very convenient for people to donate. We’ll take mice, keyboards, cabling, laptops, hard drives, back-up drives [and printers].”

Corporate recycling

On the business side, Compucycle, a northwest Houston company, provides end-of-life IT services to corporations, collecting their assets and inventory and erasing data from hard drives using Department of Defense compliance software or physically shredding on site. Clive Hess, vice president of Compucycle, said the company will refurbish machines for remarketing if possible or recycle the equipment.

“On an old computer, if we can harvest parts we will do so and reuse them. If the parts are too old, we will de-manufacture the computer,” Hess said. “The various components are separated and sent to the recyclers, and then the material is reused.”

The company will accept old computers from residents for free if they have an agreement with the manufacturer, like Sony, but a service fee is charged for disposal of other products.

Compucycle is listed in the state registry as a trusted recycler, meaning businesses or individuals who hand over computers can be sure they will be properly handled.

“We are a responsible recycling company and very vigilant,” Hess said. “We do not export to overseas landfills.”

Hess said before taking computers or other electronics to a recycler, check its status with the state program’s database as about 80 percent of U.S. companies export their products overseas.

Close to home

The Lone Star College-CyFair Technology Society has also partnered with Goodwill. The campus club held an electronics drive earlier this year and collected about 2,300 lbs. of recyclable materials, including computers and televisions. Venancio Ybarra, faculty adviser for the club and professor of electronics and engineering technology, said the electronics drive will become a biannual event every spring and fall semester for the club.

“I’ve actually already had a number of faculty and staff members ask when the next one is,” Ybarra said. “So many people don’t know where to take their electronics, so they’re just sitting in the house. But now they know of an event where they can look forward to disposing of [them] properly. I think the event really brought more awareness.”

Electronics recycling

House Bill 2714 went into effect in 2008 and requires all companies selling computers in Texas to provide customers with a convenient means to recycle their products.The bill covers laptops, desktops and computer monitors but excludes televisions. It was created to benefit people who purchased computers for personal or home office use, not larger buyers, such as small businesses or government agencies.

Many local retailers accept certain types of computers and television for e-waste trade-in programs or recycling, including Costco, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Sony. Each retailer has guidelines on what products it will accept. Visit www.texastakeback.com for information.

Wal-Mart
Will recycle iLo and Durabrand televisions

Staples
Will recycle Dell equipment

Best Buy
Will accept most electronics, televisions up to 32 inches

To learn if a computer is covered by HB 2714, visit www.texasrecyclescomputers.org for a complete list of links and information.