[LINK] 1.6m computers into landfill, 1.8 into storage

[Stephen Loosley]

At 03:18 PM 11/11/2006, Chris Maltby wrote:

>> At 10:28 AM 11/11/2006, Stilgherrian wrote:
>>> Says the ABS:
>>>    It has been estimated that in Australia, in 2006, there will be
>>>    around 1.6 million computers disposed of in landfill, another
>>>    1.8 million in storage (in addition to the 5.3 million already
>>>    gathering dust in garages and other storage areas) and half a
>>>    million recycled, according to the "Advancing Australia" report
>>>    from the Department of Communications, Information Technology
>>>    and the Arts.
> 
>On Sat, Nov 11, 2006 at 11:11:59AM +1100, Adam Todd wrote:
>> 
>>  I got a lot of other stuff I'm tossing too.  Hundreds of network cards, 
>> hubs, cables (AUI, ether, phone, multipair) dozens of monitors.  I tossed 
>> 30 monitors last council cleanup.
>
> There is a bit of a campaign going on the bring in extended producer
> responsibility for this kind of material as is now common in other
> parts of the world. Chris

Extended producer responsibility may well appear a reasonable long-term
social justice matter, but for now, maybe State legislation might be quicker.
For example, 6 US states have mandatory re-cycling of consumer e-waste: 

'Clearing a Path From Desktop to the Recycler'
John Dunn  The New York Times (snip)
Published: November 11, 2006 

.. The (US) Environmental Protection Agency estimates that people threw away 2.5 million tons of electronic equipment, known as e-waste, last year, about 10 percent of which was recycled. 

While federal law regulates the disposal of electronics by businesses and government agencies, it does not affect individual consumers, who account for more than half the e-waste produced annually, according to the federal agency. 

Every old computer monitor contains about four pounds of lead, and other parts are filled with heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, cadmium and chromium. They have toxins that hover in the air after incineration or leach into the water supply when buried in landfills. 

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh say that dumps around the nation’s major cities, including New York, hold more than 60 million computers.

Now, a consensus is emerging among environmentalists and public officials that protections need to be put in place against a dam-bursting amount of obsolete computer equipment and dormant televisions sitting in American closets and basements that could soon hit the waste stream.  

Six states have passed laws, most in the last two years, requiring people to recycle electronic trash; the New York State Legislature is expected to consider such a bill next year, having passed a narrower measure mandating recycling of cellphones that takes effect in January. ..
--

Cheers people
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia