space Press Releases, News Stories

By Tim McDonald, www.NewsFactor.com

USA, 30 May 2002 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) on Wednesday proposed reducing some restrictions against dumping old computers. The agency said the move would promote safe recycling, but some environmental groups claimed it could encourage the offloading of "e-waste" overseas.

The proposal is significant because it is one of the first such attempts on the U.S. federal level to address the growing problem of dumping old computers that contain hazardous materials.

The EPA said 220 tons of computers and other electronic goods are dumped in landfills and incinerators every year in the United States, making them one of the fastest-growing aspects of the country's "waste stream." Color computer monitors and televisions contain lead in circuit board solder as well as in the glass panels of cathode ray tubes (CRTs).

250 Million 'Retired' Computers

CRTs contain lead to protect users from X-rays generated while the tube is running. A typical computer monitor may contain up to eight pounds of lead, and the EPA has estimated that more than 250 million computers in the United States will be "retired" from use over the next five years.

The EPA has proposed that if CRTs are considered for reuse, it will classify them as "products" and not "waste," avoiding regulations under the waste requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

"The intention is right, that is, to keep CRTs and television out of landfills and incinerators and direct them to recycling," David Wood, director of the Grass Roots Recycling Network, told NewsFactor.

However, Wood said, "We're concerned that the infrastructure doesn't exist to handle all these materials. As a result, they may simply become an additional burden on local government."

Asian Dumping Grounds

"We're concerned as well [that] in the absence of that infrastructure, that there may be additional incentive to send the material overseas," Wood added. "We've seen what happens when e-waste ends up in China -- it's re-manufactured under horrific conditions, threatening the environment and the health of people there."

A recently released report criticized computer makers, consumers and the U.S. government for using Asian nations as e-waste dumping grounds.

In the report, called "Exporting Harm: The High Tech Trashing of Asia," an international array of environmental groups accused the United States of exporting "huge quantities" of e-waste to China, Pakistan and India.

Streamlining Regulations

The EPA also wants to lift the waste designation from glass removed from CRTs as long as the glass meets certain recycling, storage, labeling and transportation requirements. The agency said the action would encourage recycling while still minimizing exposure to lead in the environment.

"By streamlining our waste regulations, we encourage more reuse and recycling, cut costs and reduce paperwork," EPA administrator Christie Whitman said in a statement.

"At the same time, we continue to protect public health and the environment by providing better methods for reuse, recycling and managing materials containing hazardous substances such as lead and mercury."

The proposal also would simplify rules for other mercury-containing equipment, such as switches, barometers, meters, temperature gauges, pressure gauges and sprinkler system contacts.

PC Industry Takes Heat

The PC industry has been criticized in recent years for not designing machines that are more environmentally friendly. In addition to lead, most PCs contain such hazardous materials as arsenic, cadmium and flame retardants.

Compounding the problem, falling prices and the short life cycle of many computers encourage high turnover rates.

"E-waste is one of the fastest-growing and most toxic waste streams -- threatening human health and the environment," Ted Smith, executive director of the Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition, said in a statement accompanying the "Exporting Harm" report.