A changing e-waste equation
ERIC WILLIAMS
worldsfor example, approxicome obsolete.” Their paper is A new ES&T paper (Environ. Sci. mately 1.4 billion new cell phones the first to break out the volTechnol. DOI 10.1021/es903350q) were purchased last yearsare too umes of e-waste arising in the presents the first estimate of the vast for countries to justify exdeveloped and developing worldwide volume of obsolete porting their e-waste, says Ted worlds. However, some of the personal computers (PCs). The Smith, ETBC chair and coordinasame issues were raised in a reauthors, who are based in China tor of the International Campaign cent UNEP report, which noted and the U.S., show that developfor Responsible Technology. Addthat the volume of e-waste was ing world nations will be disposing to the problem is that the U.S. rising exponentially in developing of more old computers than is “the one outlier country developed countries by that has not even tried to 2018sor sooner. This is sigban the export of e-waste, nificant because unconwith a limited exception,” he trolled toxic emissions result says. from the informal recycling The U.S. EPA is looking practices that are often used into how it could further adto deal with e-waste in the dress exports of electronics developing world. to developing countries unInformal recycling pracder its existing authority or tices documented in China with any new authority that and other developing naCongress might approve, tions over the past decade says Clare Lindsay of the include burning plastic agency’s Office of Resource computer materials and usConservation and Recovery. ing crude methods to reEPA is also investigating cover precious metals such ways to expand reuse and as copper and gold by using recycling, she adds. acids and cyanide. The reWilliams’ work projecting sulting emissions, which can future e-waste volumes is include dioxins, furans, and cyanide, can harm the recy- Researchers predict that, before the end of this decade, also important because ewaste contains significant cling workers and pollute countries in the developing world will be getting rid quantities of some relatively local environments. of more obsolete computers than developed nations. rare elements, says Tom Up until now, the main Graedel, director of Yale approach to mitigating the ing nations, such as India, University’s Center for Industrial impacts from informal recycling China, and South Africa. Ecology. For example, approxihas focused on reducing the By failing to consider the whole mately one-sixth of the platinum amount of e-waste that developed range of consumer electronics and at least one-third of the indinations export to developing that end up as e-waste, Williams um produced each year is curcountries. The EU’s Waste Electriis missing “a huge part of the rently used in electronic products cal and Electronic Equipment story,” charges Barbara Kyle, ETlike PCs, cell phones, and flat (WEEE) directive is intended to BC’s national coordinator. The panel displays. Finding ways to ensure that the Union’s e-waste is worldwide volume is steadily inrecapture such elements from enot processed informally. Current creasing in part due to the rapid waste may eventually mitigate imU.S. federal regulations target emergence of new technologies in pacts from mining them, Graedel only e-waste that contains a cathtelevisions, computer displays, says. ode ray tube (CRT) or mercury and cell phones, she points out. Williams’ previous investiga(Hg), but 20 U.S. states, plus New The new analysis focuses on tions into PCs’ disproportionately York City, have passed legislation PCs because that is the technolhigh life-cycle costs have made mandating e-waste recycling, acogy for which the most robust him a major proponent of maxicording to the Electronics Takedatabase on global adoption is mizing the potential for PC comBack Coalition (ETBC). The available, Williams says. The data ponents to be reused prior to United Nations Environment Proon individual countries’ PC usage recycling. He says that the inforgram’s (UNEP) Basel Convention come from the United Nations’ mal recycling sector currently has also prohibits the transport of International Telecommunication more financial incentive than the hazardous waste, including Union. “The high content of preformal sector to encourage reuse. e-waste, between countries. cious metals and high demand for Smith and Graedel agree that fuIn their new paper, Eric Willused machines imply that PCs are ture measures to improve formal iams and his colleagues at Ariparticularly attractive to informal e-waste recycling should include zona State University’s School of recyclers,” according to the new incentives for reusesin addition Sustainable Engineering and paper. TVs and printers are also to reducing other environmental Nankai University (China) write popular informal recycling targets impacts. that “the prevailing assumption for similar reasons, Williams says. that trade is the main driver of —KELLYN BETTS The huge volumes of e-waste informal recycling will soon bebeing produced throughout the
9 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / May 1, 2010
10.1021/es100814q
2010 American Chemical Society
3204
Published on Web 03/23/2010
