Title: Collaborative Models in Electronics Recycling
1Collaborative Models in Electronics Recycling
International Symposium on Electronics
Environment May 16, 2005
- Michael Alexander
- Senior Research Associate
- National Recycling Coalition
2No Computer Should Go to Waste
Dell
/
NRC
Partnership
3No Computer Should Go to Waste Programs 2004/2005
- 40 grants for computer collection events
- Technical assistance program for grantees
- How-to training workshops and Collection Events
4Workshop Collection Events 2004
- Two-day event
- First day classroom training
- Second day collection event
- Stanford, CA
- Austin, TX
- San Francisco, CA
Over 1000 cars dropped off approximately 50 tons
of computer equipment at Stanford University.
5Grant Recipients 2004/2005
- Grant Program Spring 04
- 10,000 Each
- Anchorage, AK
- San Ramon, CA
- Washington, DC
- Atlanta, GA
- Kansas City, MO
- Jackson, MI
- Santa Fe, NM
- Albany, NY
- State College, PA
- Columbia, SC
- Knoxville, TN
- Milwaukee, WI
- Grant Program Fall 04
- 10,000 Each
- Mobile, AL
- Tucson, AZ
- Los Angeles, CA
- Aurora, CO
- Tallahassee, FL
- Kailua-Kona County, HI
- Oak Park, HI
- Indianapolis, IN
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Berkshire, MA
- Baltimore, MD
- St. Louis, MO
- Bozeman, MT
- Bergen County, NJ
- Albuquerque, NM
- Onondaga County, NY
- Chautauqua County, NY
- Two Canadian Grants
- Spring 05
- Cool to Be Canadian - Montreal
- Regional District of Okanagan-Smilkameen
- 3 Higher Education Grants
- Spring 05
- Miami-Dade College
- University of Colorado - Boulder
- University California San Francisco
New York City 20,000 Total Collection Events in
all 5 Boroughs Oct. 04 Queens Bronx Manhattan
Brooklyn Staten Island
Project Totals
Grants Spring 04
120,000
Grants Fall 04
200,000
HED Grants
30,000
Canadian Grants
20,000
New York City
20,000
GRAND TOTAL
390,000
6Dell Sponsored Computer Recycling Events 2004-05
7NRC Grantee Training
- Vendor Selection Navigating Environmental,
Economic and Ethical Issues - Innovative Fundraising and Promotion Strategies
- Nuts and Bolts of Collection Event Logistics
8One-Day Computer Recycling Events
9Why Hold a Computer Recycling Event?
- One day events are a date, not a marriage.
Establish your collections and you can leverage
vendor practices, dictate higher standards. - The longer monitors and computers are stored, the
less social (digital divide) and economic value
they have. - Reuse markets for CRTs are strong today, but in 2
years they may dive. - Residents dont stop generating electronic waste
while advocates ponder policy. - PCs contain potentially toxic materials.
Source American Retroworks, from Grantee Training
10What to avoid in computer recycling events
Unprocessed Stockpiles
Source Cascade Asset Management, from Grantee
Training
11NRC Grantee Training Environment/Safety Concerns
- Tour their facility!! Contact their processors!
- Signs of Concern
- Outside storage, too much inventory
- Look into dumpsters whats being thrown out
- Items not labeled facility dirty, unorganized
- Whole, untested units being shipped out
- Positive Signs
- Facility is safe and secure
- They can show you shipping documents/manifests
for commodity and equipment shipments - Hazardous materials are segregated and labeled
(batteries)
Source Cascade Asset Management, from Grantee
Training
12What to avoid in computer recycling events
Toxics Along for the Ride
13The Bad
Source America Retroworks, from Grantee Training
14The Good and the Ugly
Copper extracted by hand
Monitor Refurbishing Factory
Source America Retroworks, from Grantee Training
15The worst recycling is environmentally better
than the best mining
Source American Retroworks, from Grantee Training
16Electronics Recycling vs. Mining
- World demand for copper, gold, aluminum, lead,
plastic and steel expands daily. - E-Scrap is 300 richer in copper and other metals
than mined ore. - Recycling produces a fraction of the pollution
from mining. Hard rock mining produces 45 of all
toxics produced by all USA industries. - Electronics metal mining contributes to gorilla
and orangutan extinction. - USGS At 1990 rate of consumption, copper
reserves will be exhausted this century Ocean
mining will be the primary source of copper in
our lifetimes. - 14/15 largest Superfund sites are copper mines
- Gold mining releases more mercury into the
environment than mercury production and disposal
combined.
Source American Retroworks, from Grantee Training
17NRC Grantee TrainingQuestion for Vendor on
Exports
- Ask for leaded glass recycling records
- Ask for documentation of markets for printed
circuit board recycling - Look at employees or capital investment per ton
Source American Retroworks, from Grantee Training
18Spring 04 Results
- Anchorage, AK 306 tons
- San Ramon, CA 36 tons
- Washington, DC 40 tons
- Atlanta, GA 7 tons
- Kansas City, MO 10 tons
- Jackson, MI 35 tons
- Santa Fe, NM 39 tons
- Albany, NY 70 tons
- State College, PA 110 tons
- Columbia, SC 103 tons
- Knoxville, TN 26 tons
- Milwaukee, WI 89 tons
Total Tonnage Collected 872 tons Average Per
Event 73 tons
19Fall 04 Results
- Tucson, AZ 26 Tons
- Kailua-Kona County, HI 36 Tons
- Oak Park, HI 49 Tons
- Indianapolis, IN 29 Tons
- Boone County, KY 25 Tons
- Baton Rouge, LA 72 Tons
- Berkshire, MA 27 Tons
- Baltimore, MD 12 Tons
- Bozeman, MT 44 Tons
- Bergen County, NJ 42 Tons
- Onondaga County, NY 51 Tons
- Chautauqua County, NY 23 Tons
- State of Rhode Island 18 Tons
Total Tonnage Collected 454 tons Average Per
Event 32 tons
20Direct Environmental Benefits of Dell/NRC
Computer Recycling Events
- Saved enough energy to power and heat nearly 600
household for one year. - Reduced greenhouse gases at an amount equivalent
to taking 800 cars off the road for one year.
21NRCs Web-Based Resource Center for Computer
Collection Events
- Best Practices Guide
- Downloadable camera ready press and promotional
materials - Examples of television and radio ads
- Model RFPs and service contracts
- Instructional PowerPoint presentations on such
issues as vendor selection - Comprehensive national database of electronic
recyclers and reuse options
22Lessons Learned from 40 Collection Events
- Seed from OEM leverages significant public and
private funding - With intensive training, event coordinators are
quick studies - One-day collection events are convenient for
consumers - Each community is different, and collection
events need to be uniquely tailored - Collection events are a highly effective short
term solution to e-scrap recycling
23National Recycling Coalition Congress Expo
24Contact
Michael Alexander Senior Research
Associate National Recycling Coalition MichaelA_at_n
rc-recycle.org P. 802-254-3338 WWW.NRC-RECYCLE.ORG