E-Waste

What concerns have been raised over e-waste?

There have been many concerns raised over electronic waste (e-waste). The main concern involves the use of heavy metals and materials like mercury, lead, and PVC plastic. When electronics products are thrown away, these materials can leach into the ground and cause serious environmental issues over time. Sometimes non-salvageable components of these products are burned, especially in third-world countries. This creates toxic smoke which enters our atmosphere and causes illnesses in the short term and long-term environmental effects. Another concern is the use of child labor in dismantling used electronics and manufacturing new electronics products.

One of the biggest – perhaps the biggest – contributor to e-waste is the idea of "planned obsolescence." Planned obsolescence involves deliberately manufacturing a product to become obsolete after a period of time. Many critics use Apple as an example, but all electronics manufacturers are guilty of this at one point or another. I’ve pasted a link to the Wikipedia article, which gives an excellent summary of the concept. There are some excellent links near the bottom of the article to resources that go into greater detail.

Another concern – not specifically related to e-waste – is the amount of other waste generated as a side effect. For example, most electronics devices use batteries of some sort. Batteries contain toxic materials such a cadmium, lithium, and alkaline. In addition, there is the packaging. Many companies have taken steps to reduce the amount of packaging, but the sheer volume of electronics devices purchased today nearly negates that effort.

What actions can electronics manufacturers take to address the e-waste problem?

Many manufacturers – such as Nokia and Apple – offer "take-back" or "buy-back" programs that offer consumers the opportunity to recycle their old devices when they are no longer needed. More manufactures can adopt similar programs or provide similar incentives to their customers. Many manufacturers could also discard the notion of "planned obsolescence," and build products that are meant to last longer. Many manufacturers are also designing their products with less amounts of hazardous material and making them easily recyclable.

Manufacturers aren’t the only organizations that can take action. Travis mentioned in his thread about local communities organizing a "recycling day" that gives residents another option to recycle their old electronics. However, these events are only held a few times a year. Major retailers can also contribute. Best Buy already offers a "buy back" program. Imagine how much e-waste could be recycled if all Wal-Marts across the country offered a recycling or "take-back" program in their stores!

What laws, if any, do you think are necessary to address this problem? Why?

I think there should be laws to provide incentives for companies to manufacture their products with fewer hazardous materials. There could also be laws to provide incentives to consumers that recycle their old electronics. The government has offered such incentives in the past to taxpayers who have made their homes energy-efficient. Why not expand those incentives to encourage recycling electronics products?