Did you know…..
…… manufacturing one desktop computer and 17-inch CRT monitor uses 1.9 tons of materials -- roughly the weight of a rhinoceros*?
Electronic devices take a great deal of energy and natural resources to manufacture, to use, and then to dispose of them. The average desktop computer system requires 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals to make. In addition, computers demand far more energy than any other home appliance, except a furnace or boiler. As computers are getting smaller, their environmental impact is getting greater! *
When we throw away e.Scrap, all the initial investment in resources is wasted. Doesn’t it make sense to continue to use all the energy and resources invested in an electronic device by reusing and recycling it instead of throwing it in the trash?
When you reuse and recycle, you not only extend the life of the device, you also save valuable natural resources, reduce water and chemical consumption, and reduce energy use. Manufacturing one computer and monitor uses at least 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 50 pounds of chemicals and 3,330 pounds of water . In addition, 81% of the energy used by a computer over its lifetime is used in the manufacture of the product, before the computer ever reaches your home or office.*
By reusing and recycling your electronics and by buying ‘greener’ electronic devices from now on, you can help make a brighter future for Indiana!
Electronic devices contain a host of hazardous materials, from lead to mercury to cadmium to chromium. (see The Hazards) When items are reused and recycled, these toxins stay out of the waste stream where they could pose a threat to human health and the environment.
Reselling or upgrading computers uses 5–20 times less energy than recycling!* Reusing electronics is the best way to manage e.Scrap. However, reuse is preferable to recycling only when the items can provide actual value to another person, and are not so out of date that they are a burden to utilize.There are millions of Americans and others around the world who do not have and cannot afford access to computers, cell phones and other electronics. However, through legitimate reuse, those individuals and families can gain the tools they need for education, better communication, skills development and job training.
Sometimes, even when a complete electronic unit cannot be reused, certain parts and components can be.\ Parts, such as memory chips, sound and video cards, power cords and other items, can often be used again.
When an electronic device no longer has reuse value (it is too old or is no longer working), then it is best to recycle that e.Scrap. Manufacturing new electronic devices can use up to ten times their weight in resources and chemicals.
In addition to ensuring the hazardous materials are managed properly, recycling also allows the precious metals (like steel, gold and copper), glass, plastics and others natural resources once mined and manufactured in the original product to be used again. Recycling allows the initial energy and natural resource investments to pay off again and again.
Waste prevention and recycling have been identified as key strategies to reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by recycling e.Scrap, you help reduce greenhouse gases and global warming in two key ways:
For every ton of personal computers recycled:
(US EPA WARM Model, August 2004, http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ActionsWasteWARM.html)
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is another tool to encourage better management of e.Scrap. EPR programs change the traditional balance of responsibilities among the manufacturers and distributors of consumer goods, consumers and governments with regard to managing waste. EPR extends the traditional environmental responsibilities that producers and distributors have previously been assigned (i.e. worker safety, prevention and treatment of environmental releases from production, financial and legal responsibility for the sound management of production wastes) to include management at the post-consumer stage.** Although they take many forms, these programs are all characterized by the continued involvement of producers and/or distributors with commercial goods after the consumer has bought and even discarded the product.
In the case of EPR in the area of electronics, manufacturers may design a product to be more reusable or recyclable, may reduce or eliminate toxic components in their products, may incorporate recycled content in their products, and may take either physical or financial responsibility for their end-of-life products. Some manufacturers of electronic devices have engineered computers to be more easily demanufactured and recycled (see Green Electronics). Others have set up take-back programs and/or sponsored collection events for computers as part of a new extended producer responsibility model.
For a list of websites for electronic product manufacturers’ environmental policies and programs, see:
http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/2002report.htm#urls
*Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science series from Kluwer Publications: Computers and the Environment, edited by Ruediger Kuehr and Eric Williams. Research conducted at the United Nations University.
**Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development. Working Party on Pollution Prevention and Control. Extended Producer Responsibility: A Guidance Manual for Governments. October 2000
 A
Program of the Indiana
Recycling Coalition |
