e-Waste

Bill BardinMANE 6960 – Solid and Hazardous Waste Prevention and Control Engineering

Professor Gutierrez-Miravete RPI - Hartford

Spring 2014

Here and Now

• Connecticut passed e-Waste handling and disposal laws in 2007.

• CT Requires manufacturers to register and pay a fee to sell electronics in the state.

• They also maintain a list of Non-Compliant Electronics manufacturers.

• Connecticut e-Waste disposal ban only covers:– Televisions– CRT’s– Desktops– Laptops– Monitors

Laws? Maybe

• Laws vary widely from state to state, from widely encompassing laws to none.

US e-Waste Statistics

Contaminates in e-Waste

• Lead (Pb)• Cadmium (Cd)• Mercury (Hg)• Hexavalent Chromium (Cr)• Poly Vinyl Chlorides (PVC)• Brominated Flame Retardants• Nickel (Ni)• Beryllium (Br)

Trash or Treasure?

• Palladium – 13%• Cobalt – 15%• Gold – 3%• Silver – 3%• The above numbers represent the percentage of

world production that goes into electronics manufacturing.

• As few as 41 discarded cell phones can yield 1 gram of gold. (Au = $41.47 on 04.21.14)(Production = ~$1,000 per ounce)

• Other valuable components: Aluminum, copper, nickel and platinum.

HP Ranked #1 by Greenpeace!

• Recycling and sustainability efforts by Hewlett-Packard has garnered them the number one spot in Greenpeace’s ranking of Green Electronics Companies.

• Also highly ranked by Greenpeace:– Nokia– Acer– Dell– Apple– Samsung

Not in MY Backyard!

• Only 25% of e-Waste gets recycled.• The other 75% goes, somewhere.• The EU requires manufacturers to

take back electronic products and either repair, reuse, or recycle.

• In spite of strict EU regulations, large amounts of e-Waste still end up in third world countries.

• These wastes contribute to an ever growing environmental, health and social catastrophe that may have a long lasting effect on the world’s environment.

Playground for the Poor?

THANK YOU …………….

Bibliography

• Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. (2014, 02 07). Connecticut DEEP's List of Compliant Electronics Manufacturers. Retrieved 03 22, 2014, from http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/e-waste/ewastemfgcomplist.pdf

 • Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. (2014, 02 19). Connecticut's Electronics Recycling Law. Retrieved 03 22,

2014, from Department of Energy & Environmental Protection: http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2714&q=397482

• Electronics Takeback Coalition. (2012). E-Waste in Landfills. Retrieved 04 18, 2014, from http://www.electronicstakeback.com/designed-for-the-dump/e-waste-in-landfills/

• Electronics Takeback Coallition. (n.d.). Responsible Recycling vs Global Dumping. Retrieved 03 22, 2014, from http://www.electronicstakeback.com/global-e-waste-dumping/

• Greenpeace International. (2012, 11). Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics. Retrieved 03 22, 2014, from Greenpeace International: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up/

• Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (2014). Reuse & Recycling at HP. Retrieved 03 22, 2014, from http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/recycling-reuse.html#.UzM7YNyG7fM

 • Smith, S. Z. (2012, 06 26). Where Trash Meets Treasure: E-Waste Recycling For Precious Metals. Retrieved 04 18, 2014, from

Recyclebank: https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/where-trash-meets-treasure-e-waste-recycling-precious-metals

• Sustainable Electronics Initiative. (n.d.). US State & Local Legislation. (U. o. Urbana-Champaign, Producer) Retrieved 03 22, 2014, from http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/policy/state.cfm

• United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d.). Environment and E-Waste in India. Retrieved 04 18, 2014, from http://www.unep.org/resourceefficiency/Home/Business/SectoralActivities/ICT/ProjectsActivities/EnvironmentandEWasteinIndia/tabid/101142/Default.aspx

• US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. (2011). Electronic Waste Management in the United States Through 2009. US EPA.