Electronics and the Environment

1
Electronics and the Environment

• Christine Beling, Project Engineer
• United States
• Environmental Protection Agency
• February 5, 2007

1EPA
2
Overview

• What are Electronics?
• Life Cycle of Electronics
• What is E-waste and E-cycling?
• What is Reuse?
• Selecting a E-cycler?
• Federal Outlook
• 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

5
What is an electronic product?

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

6
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
8
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
15
Electronics focus

• Devices with anything with a circuit board or
  anything with a plug
• EElectronic
• 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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Life Cycle Phases of Electronics

• Green Design
• Green Puchasing
• Energy Efficient Operation
• End-of-Life Management

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Green Design and Manufacture
Green Purchasing
Electronics Life Cycle
Reuse and Recycling
Green Operations
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EPA PROGRAMS ON ELECTRONICS
Design for the Environment (BFRs)
THE CHALLENGE OF ELECTRONICS WASTE
CRT Rule
Dialogue on third-party recycler certification
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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

25

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E-Waste or NOT?

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

27
(No Transcript)
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Photographs from the report Exporting Harm by
the Basal Action Network, www.ban.org
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Electronics Management Hierarchy

• Reuse
• Refurbishment
• Recycling
• Incineration or Landfilling

BETTER
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End-of-Life Management

• Reuse
• Internal trickledown/Surplus
• Donation
• Refurbishment
• Recycling
• Contract for services
• Contract with new procurement
• Trash Incineration or Landfilling
• ILLEGAL in MA, ME, NH and several VT solid waste
  districts
• Understudy in RI
• No actions in CT

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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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Promoting Reuse

• Working group of refurbishers, non-profts,
  companies and EPA, developed Do the PC Thing
  Guidance for individuals and business. Available
  at www.epa.gov/plugin

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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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Selecting E-Waste Management Options

• How to choose a recycler?
• COSTS
• Liabilities
• Due Diligence Reviews

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Selecting a E-cycling vendor

• Due Diligence assessment
• Permits-EPA id is only a shipping number
• End Markets
• Insurance
• References
• Onsite evaluation
• http//www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resourc
  es/docs/
• select.doc
• http//www.retroworks.com/Presentations_Folder/
• ElectronicsRecyclingDueDiligenceQuestions.pdf

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LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS
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Photo courtesy of Basel Action Network
(www.BAN.org) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
(www.SVTC.org)
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Photo courtesy of Basel Action Network
(www.BAN.org) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
(www.SVTC.org)
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Photo courtesy of Basel Action Network
(www.BAN.org) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
(www.SVTC.org)
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Photo courtesy of Basel Action Network
(www.BAN.org) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
(www.SVTC.org)
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Selecting E-Waste Management Options

• Contract for Recycling Services
• NOT A FREEBIE!
• Select a vendor
• Asset management through new procurement
  contracts

43
EPAs Approach to Electronics

• Product Stewardship
• Shared Responsibility
• No national legislation to date
• 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
• NH- CRT Disposal Ban July 2007
• VT- infrastructure development
• RI - Under study by legislature
• CT- No legislation to date
• Product Stewardship Institute
• www.productstewardship.us/prod_electronics.html

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State Electronics Challenge the SEC

• Two Year Project 10/1/06 through 9/30/08
• US EPA Region 2 - Resource Conservation Challenge
  Grant
• Project Goals
• Promote life cycle environmental stewardship of
  computers by state, regional, local governments
• Green procurement
• Power management
• Product life extension
• Reuse recycling

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State Electronics Challenge

• Project Goals
• Adapt Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) to
  create SEC
• Pilot establish a sustainable program in the
  Northeast
• Goal 50 SEC Partners in pilot phase
• Provide recommendations template for national
  replication
• Project Partners
• Nine Northeastern States
• DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
• Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional
  Conference

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For More Information, or to Stay Involved

• Advisory Committee Membership Communication
• Lynn Rubinstein, lynn_at_nerc.org
• Tel [phone]
• SEC Program Development Implementation
• Patty Dillon, patty_at_nerc.org
• Tel [phone]

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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-EPA Program with Industry
• www.epa.gov/plugin
• 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