Waste Electronics: A Growing Problem Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board presentation to the...
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Transcript of Waste Electronics: A Growing Problem Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board presentation to the...
Waste Electronics:A Growing Problem
Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board presentation to the
Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee of the
Association of Minnesota Counties
September 18, 2003
What’s the Problem?
TVs and Computer Monitors Contain Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs)
CRTs are the largest source of lead in Minnesota’s garbage
Backlog of e-waste TVs = > 3.5 million in MN homes Computer Monitors => 2 million in MN homes and businesses
Growing Waste Stream 500,000 TVs sold in MN annually 400,000 – 500,000 computer monitors sold annually
Few disposal options available to residents
What’s a Cathode Ray Tube?
A vacuum tube in which images are produced when an electron beam strikes a phosphorescent surface
German scientist Karl Braun originally developed the CRT in 1897
Requires lead to shield users from X-rays
The Insides of a CRT
Why is the lead in CRTs a problem? Lead is in the phosphorescent coating of the
tube - fused between 2 pieces of glass, so an unbroken CRT is relatively safe
But crushing CRT glass releases solid lead into the environment
Lead in the funnel and face plate glass - does not leach readily
Lead in the “frit” which joins the face plate glass to the funnel glass leaches readily when subjected to TCLP test
How should CRTs be managed?
Should NOT be landfilled Should NOT be sent to Waste-to-Energy
Facilities Should be recycled
Component parts of CRTs can be recycled: glass, lead, other materials
Where are Waste Electronic Products Going Now?
Lot’s of old TVs and computers stored in homes (check your basement!)
Current Under-developed “System” Privately-Operated Collection Facilities - limited Government Sponsored (Metro) - limited
Hennepin County and Minneapolis County and Municipal Event Collections
Manufacturer-Sponsored Programs - limited Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, IBM, Dell, Gateway
Also - illegal dumping and abandoned warehouses
It’s Costly to Recycle End-of-life Electronics Today
Separate collection, or drop off
Labor-intensive disassembly required
Shipment of components to other parts of the country for recycling
Proposed Solution: Shared Responsibility
Trend: Rapid technological advances => more electronic waste
Trend: Less governmental involvement and governmental funding
Common Sense Solution: Shared responsibility with manufacturers, consumers, and government
Legislative Product Stewardship Efforts
Minnesota National Other Countries
Minnesota CRT Prohibition
2003 Session: Prohibition passes
Effective July 1, 2005, a person may not place in mixed municipal solid waste an electronic product containing a cathode-ray tube.
Product Stewardship:State Initiatives
24 States have introduced legislation
States with Bans Massachusetts California Maine
Minnesota!
National Initiative
National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) Officially launched in June 2001 Purpose: Seek industry participation in the collection,
transportation, and recycling of waste electronics Minnesota has 2 representatives participating in
NEPSI: Sherry Enzler, representing the Mn OEA Commissioner Jim Kordiak, representing the
SWMCB
Why not wait for a national solution?
Best case scenario Voluntary agreement through NEPSI by end of 2003 Will likely require Federal legislation to implement 2 years to get legislation; 2 years to start-up May be in place by 2008?
Other Countries Pursuing Product Stewardship
Japan First major economy to adopt regulations mandating the recycling of
discarded electronic products (effective in 2001) Consumers pay the direct costs of transporting and recycling at the
point of recycling; manufacturers provide hauling and recycling facilities European Union
European Parliament passed legislation that will require manufacturers to take back their electronic products when consumers discard them (effective in 2006)
Requires producers to bear the cost of collecting and recycling their discarded electronic products from citizens.
Mandates a timetable for phasing out most toxic substances in electronic products
Canada Pending provincial legislation Voluntary industry group underway
Local Government, on the front lines, can’t wait until 2008!
Demand for recycling solutions is growing….
Growing Threat of Illegal Disposal…
Do citizens want recycling options? If you offer, they will come…
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Mpls curbside began
Hennepin County Consumer Electronics Program History
Not Just a Metro Problem...
E-waste Collected in Duluth, Mn
E-waste ending up in China
Proposed Language For Resolutions and Legislative Platforms
[agency / organization] supports legislation regarding management of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) that incorporates manufacturer responsibility, reliable and convenient collection options, responsible recycling of CRTs, a mechanism to address the backlog of CRTs, and a preference for advance recycling fees without relying on local government for management of CRTs, effective July 1, 2005.