Making the Electronics Stream Cradle to Cradle Closing the Resource Loop and Solving the E-waste Problem Audrey Brown Dan Malik Christine Tate
Every day in California, 6000 computers become obsolete
1/3 of small businesses in the Bay Area illegally dump electronics 500 Million obsolete electronics are scrapped every year in the U.S. By 2010, this number is expected to increase to 3 Billion
As much as 50-80% of US electronic waste collected for recycling is sent to Asia
While much of this e-waste is intended for reuse, about 50% is immediately dumped in landfills
Addressing Irresponsible Recycling : Electronic Recycler s Pledge of True Stewardship Compiled by the Basel Action Network Vast majority of E-Recyclers have not signed Pledge shows that company vows No hazardous E-waste in landfills or incinerators No exporting to developing countries Not sent to prisons Certified environmental management system Entire recycling chain meets health regulations Visibly track all hazardous E-waste Support environmental programs
GreenCitizen E-Recycling is on the Right Track Signed and follow the BAN pledge Focus on educating public Life cycle database for producers Kiosk locations and pick-ups
Still a Long Way to Go Less than 10% of electronics are properly recycled Interviewed 18 people and 1 small business None had taken steps for assuring responsible recycling Free disposal events if anything I once tried to take things to one of those events but within an hour of the opening time, there was a line around the block and they had to stop letting people in Business hired company to clear out old computers I think they mentioned that they would recycle them
Still a Long Way to Go Inconvenience a large deterrent Personal interviews and GC logs Only 2 GC locations and 3 Kiosk sites Many unaware of E-Waste crisis Proper recycling facilities require recycling fee Not all electronics include up-front recycling fees Larger issue for second-hand buyers
Our Solution Legislation Improve Convenience New Business Opportunities
Legislation Every electronic includes an upfront recycling fee (already in place for some electronics) added to price a deposit added to price Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag imbedded in hardware or bar code on surface for life cycle tracking Recycling fee and deposit paid to the government Prices are determined by type of electronic
Improving Convenience Recycling deposit locations located at all major electronics stores For every place I can buy a cell phone, there should be a place I can recycle it James Kao, GreenCitizen RFIDs aid workers in maintaining databases Deposit boxes outside Not restricted by store hours Automatically log LCA information based on RFIDs Print receipts
Automatic Deposit Boxes Recycler places electronic in box and shuts door Door locks and RFID used to identify electronic Can now activate mechanism to push item further into box while door remains locked Door unlocks and deposit receipt is printed to be collected inside store
New Business Opportunities Recycling deposit doesn t necessarily need to be collected by original buyer Allows for second-hand users to also collect deposit New business possibility: recyclers that provide free pick-up of electronics from large companies Recyclers collect deposits Large companies get rid of excess electronics Database of product life cycles valuable to electronics producers
Next Steps to Feasibly Create an Impact Upfront recycling fee on all electronics Make electronic recycling free Has begun with certain products (TVs, monitors, laptops, cell phones) Begin to reduce illegal dumping and encourage proper recycling steps Cost no longer deterrent Outlaw E-dumping in all states Deposits on more expensive items followed by all items Expect to greatly increase recycling of such items Incorporate tags and deposit boxes Cost of added technology offset by advantage to businesses with LCA data Overall Begin at state level Increase recycling center locations throughout
Questions?
Sources Basel Action Network: www.ban.org James Kao: Green Citizen Staff: Green Citizen Wikipedia RFID tags www.greencitizen.com East Bay Business Taimes June 8, 2005; Study: One-third of Bay Area small businesses dump electronics in trash Center for Environmental Health: E-Waste Issues
Toxic Materials in Computers