Electronics and the Environment

1
Electronics and the Environment

• Christine Beling, Project Engineer
• United States
• Environmental Protection Agency
• November 14, 2005

1EPA
2
Overview

• What is an Electronic Product?
• Why Electronics?
• What is E-waste?
• Why its Important?
• What is Reuse, E-Cycling?
• Selecting E-Waste Management
• Federal Outlook
• Life Cycle of Electronics
• Conclusions

3
What is an electronic product?

• A product containing an integrated circuit or IC
  -- a small electronic device made out of a
  semiconductor material

4
What is an electronic product?
White goods are not considered an electronic
product

• Brown goods are appliances that are
  intensively electronic in composition

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What is an electronic product?

• All parts and components that form part of the
  consumer electronics are also considered as
  electronic products

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Classification of Electronic Products
1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
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Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
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Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
9
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
10
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
11
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
12
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
13
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
14
Classification of Electronic Products

1. Components and devices
(semiconductors) 2. Electronic data
processing 3. Office equipment 4.
Consumer electronics 5. Telecommunication
6. Communication and radar 7.
Control and instrumentation 8. Medical
/industrial instrumentation 9. Automotive
electronics
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Electronics are

• Devices with anything with a circuit board or
  anything with a plug
• EElectronics
• Computers, Monitors and TVs
• CRT-Cathode Ray Tube

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Generation Trends

• In 2002, obsolete computers outnumbered those
  sold
• Lifespan of PC approaching 2 years (down from 4)
• Europe claims electronics stream growing at rate
  3X that of MSW

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Why Electronics?

• Used electronics or E-Waste
• Fast-growing waste stream
• 400 million units scrapped annually from
  2000-2010
• 2.79 million tons in 2003
• Contain hazardous constituents
• Lead, mercury, cadmium
• Made with valuable materials
• Metals, precious metals, engineering
  thermoplastics, glass, etc..

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() Products
Virgin Materials
Manufacturing
Wastes
( - ) Releases
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Manufacturing Impact

• PC approximately 55 pounds
• Chips - 400 step process
• 140 pounds of waste
• 2,300 kilowatt hours of energy
• 7,300 gallons of water

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What is E-Waste ?
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Why its important?

• Environmental stewardship
• Doing the right thing
• Energy!
• Liability
• RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• Many electronics designate as a hazardous waste
  under RCRA
• Superfund
• State Laws
• Civil Liability
• 6 o'clock news factor

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Photographs from the report Exporting Harm by
the Basal Action Network, www.ban.org
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E-Waste or NOT?

• Components can be reused, refurbished, recycled,
  or reclaimed in the current marketplace.

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Electronics Management Hierarchy

• Reuse
• Refurbishment
• Recycling
• Incineration or Landfilling

BETTER
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ReUse It

• When you outgrow your computers, cell phones
  and other equipment, and pass them onto new users
• working condition
• under 5 years old - if possible with their
  original software and licensing
• clean off personal information
• http//www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/re
  useit.htm

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Refurbish

• Donate hardware
• Microsoft Authorized Refurbishers (MAR)
• www.techsoup.org

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E-Cycling

• What is e-cycling?
• Legitimate vs. Quack Recyclers
• COSTS
• Liabilities

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Recycle

• Composition of a PC
• 23 Plastic 12.7 pounds
• 6 lead 3.3 pounds
• 20 iron 11 pounds
• 24 glass 13.2 pounds
• 14 aluminum 7.7 pounds
• 13 other metals 7.2 pounds
• TOTAL 55 pounds
• http//www.svtc..org/hightech_prod/desktop.htm

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LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS
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Selecting E-Waste Management Options

• Donation/Reuse
• Recycling
• How to choose a recycler?
• COSTS
• Liabilities

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EPAs Approach to Electronics

• Product Stewardship
• Shared Responsibility
• EPA Focus Areas
• Education
• Regulatory Streamlining
• Collection Pilots
• Multi-stakeholder discussions
• Partnerships on design
• There are NO Federal Permits
• EPA ID is a shipping number
• NO EPA CERTIFICATION

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Federal Outlook

• No Federal mandates likely in near term
• State and Regional Legislation
• EPA will collaborate with states, industry,
  retailers and Non-Governmental Organizations
• www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin
• Agencies will GREEN internal management of
  electronics

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EPA Education

• EPA New England E-Cycling
• http//www.epa.gov/region01/solidwaste/electronic/
  index.html
• Federal Electronics Challenge
• http//federalelectronicschallenge.net
• Northeast Recycling Council
• www.nerc.org
• National Center for Electronics Recycling
• http//www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER

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State Government

• More states/locals starting to move on
  electronics
• MA-Cathode Ray Tube Disposal Ban
• ME-Product Stewardship Legislation
• CT, NH-possible regulation
• VT- infrastructure development
• Product Stewardship Institute
• www.productstewardship.us/prod_electronics.html

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Green Design and Manufacture
Green Purchasing
Electronics Life Cycle
Reuse and Recycling
Green Operations
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Electronics LifeCycle

• EPA DfE program http//www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/solder
  /lca/index.htm
• Printed Wiring Boards
• CRTs and LCDs
• Lead solder project
• Energy Star
• http//www.energystar.gov
• Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program
• http//www.epeat.net

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Electronics Manufacturers

• Consumer Education Initiative
• http//www.eiae.org/
• Progress is being made in greening electronics
  design
• European Initiatives http//www.weeeman.org/
• Manufacturers taking steps to take back/recycle
  electronics
• DELL, IBM, others

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Retailers

• Plug-Into E-Cycling-Staples, Electronics industry
  making
• Take It Back Network-Pacific Northwest
• Local Government and Retail
• Leasing Options
• Take Back Options

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Conclusions

• THANK YOU
• You can have an impact
• Purchasing
• Operations
• End-of-Life Management
• The Bottom Line

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Technical Assistance

• Christine Beling
• USEPA
• One Congress Street-SPP
• Boston, MA 02114
• Beling.christine_at_epa.gov
• 617-918-1792