e-waste | eco-officiency

Why are Electronics Toxic to the Environment?

How many chemicals does your cell phone expose you to on a daily basis? A study by healthystuff.org found toxic chemicals in 36 of the most popular phones on the market, including all versions of Apple’s iPhone. Among the 12 different chemicals tested for, the cell phones tested positive for lead, cadmium, and mercury –some of the most harmful and carcinogenic to humans.

The problems begin when products are manufactured with combinations of many heavy metals and continue to inflict severe environmental damage long after they are discarded. Greenpeace has outlined some of the most harmful chemicals found in electronics and their effects all of which can and do bio-accumulate in the environment. These are not limited to, but include:

Lead- particularly harmful to pregnant women and children, causing birth and developmental defects.
Cadmium- causes damage to the lungs and kidneys.
Mercury- Also specifically harmful to pregnant women and children, impairing neurological development and birth defects.
Polyvinyl Carbonate (PVC)- releases harmful and toxic chemicals especially when burned, as it would be in a disposal plant.
Bromated Flame Retardants- Disruptive to hormone systems and causes learning and memory impairment.

How can you protect your personal health along with the well-being of the planet? Proper disposal of electronic devices is essential. Even when electronics leave our homes and go into the garbage, they can get back into our bodies through water, food, and exposure to outdoor elements.

Learn more how to safely dispose of toxic electronics and keep chemicals out of the environment through our extensive recycling resources on our website.

Purchasing Electronic Equipment Responsibly: Check for Certifications

When purchasing new electronic and computer equipment, one way for companies to be more conscientious is to choose vendors that have sustainability certifications. The following are certifications used for electronic equipment and ensure that the product has met or exceeded certain requirements for energy, resource and toxic chemical use.

Energy Star is by far the most well-known environmental certification. It is essentially a cooperative effort of the EPA and the DOE. Many think of refrigerators when they think of Energy Star ratings. However, the system extends to notebooks, desktops, monitors, all-in-one devices, and scanners. These electronic devices must usually meet two standards. First, they must automatically go into a “low-power” mode when they are not being used. Second, they can only use a certain maximum of power when they are being used. The DOE is promoting energy savings and the EPA wants to decrease greenhouse gases.

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is an online tool that assists buyers to evaluate products using environmental criteria. It looks at 51 elements in eight different categories. It is derived from IEEE Standard 1680-2006. There are rating levels named Gold, Silver, and Bronze. A bronze rating is awarded when all 23 required standards are met. The upgrade to silver occurs when those criteria are met, along with at least half of the other 28 optional standards. Finally, the Gold award goes to products that meet the required standards and 3/4 of the optional ones. At the EPEAT website one can scroll to the product that they need and quickly determine specific items that are EPEAT certified.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is a set of standards regarding dangerous substances in electronics that comes from the European Union (EU). These standards do allow for “trace amounts” in some cases. It does set specific standards for limiting the amount of cadmium, mercury, lead, etc. that can be present in a product. Today, one can select the certifications that your organization wants to meet, and then locate the products that meet the standards.

Our consultants can guide you further in your pursuit of green products and how to choose them. Please contact us for further information.

Recycling non-Traditional Business Materials

When we think about recycling today, we typically think about regular recyclable items such as plastic bottles, aluminum, glass and tin cans. There are also now resources to recycle other office items such as Styrofoam, batteries, cell phones, CD’s and electronics. With our landfills becoming full, toxic and more expensive it is important for businesses to do their part to recycle as much as waste as possible. Here is a list of resources and office items that you can recycle. Don’t see an item listed? Visit our full list of recycling and donation resources for more recycling resources for businesses.

Styrofoam Packing Peanuts

Thanks to groups like the Peanut Hotline, packaging and shipping companies like Pak Mail and are part of the solution. So, rather than adding those packing peanuts to the landfill, consider sending them a box full.

Batteries

The worst thing about batteries is how toxic and damaging they are when left to decompose in our environment. First, check with the battery manufacturer as many times they offer recycling programs for their products. You can also contact Call2Recycle for locations that accept batteries for responsible recycling.

Cell Phones

You probably have see the cell phone recycling bins at your local big box electronics store or in the lobby of the cell phones stores but, did you know that there are other alternatives? A cell phone can be a huge blessing to those in need, go to Second Wave Recycling to find a charity. Domestic violence victims would also be very appreciative of your old phone so the NCADV will happily take it off your hands and put it to good use.

Bio-Plastics and Bio-degradable Materials

These are plastics made from lactic acid, soy protein or vegetable starches. Through naturally occurring processes these plastics will break down over time, completely and without releasing toxins into our soil. If you need to find a recycler for these items contact FindAComposter.com and they will help put you in touch. By making the effort to compost these products we will encourage the industry to continue to produce earth-friendly bio-plastics.

E-Waste (Computers, Printers, Monitors)

KOPEG (Keep Our Planet Earth Green) has an excellent recycling program that can also serve as a way to raise funds. Encourage recycling of items like old cell phones or MP3 players, broken digital cameras, obsolete PDAs and more, and they will help you turn it into cash.

If you aren’t sure how to recycle a material, Contact us to find out more!

The Three P’s of Recycling in Your Workplace

The Three P’s of Workplace Recycling assists organizations in getting started:

People: People are the number one component of the success of your business. Recycling efforts are no different. Get your team on board by letting them know that waste reduction is a priority. They need to be involved, willing and able to participate. You can help make recycling more efficient through the other two P’s, but without your people doing their part, your efforts will fall flat.

Process: You need to put a process in place to collect and dispose of recyclables and compostables. Who’s going to be in charge of emptying the containers and taking items off-site? Where will the items ultimately end up? Will there be some kind of monitoring and accountability system? How will you recognize and reward participation and efforts that go beyond what is required? These are some of the questions you have to consider to make sure that recycling and composting enhances your business operations.
Place: The saying “A place for everything and everything in its place” is true for recycling as well. You’ll need clearly-labeled containers for different types of recyclables and compostables that your business generates. Here are some suggestions for what items may be recycled from different areas of your workplace:

Cafeteria, Kitchen or Lunch room. (Most of these type of materials are usually collectable from most community based recycling programs)

Metal – aluminum foil, beverage cans
Cartons – milk and juice tetra-pak containers
Glass bottles
Plastics – #1-7, plastic bags, shrink wrap
Paper bags

Office Equipment and Electronics (These type of items need to be recycled through certified e-waste recyclers)

Fax machines
Computer mice, monitors, keyboards; Laptops
Copiers and printers; toner cartridges
CDs, DVDs
Phones

Paper (Most of these materials can either be recycled or composted. Check your local recyclers guidelines)

Books, phonebooks, catalogs
Magazines
Mail, Manila envelopes
Cardboard
Packing boxes
Office paper, shredded documents

Miscellaneous (These materials are considered hard-to-recycle items and usually are not picked up recycling programs. Go to Earth911 or National Recycling Resources to find ways to recycle these type of items)

Packing peanuts
Styrofoam packaging
Light bulbs
Batteries

e-waste: Recycle computer and electronics responsibly

Many companies in the beginning of the New Year purchase new electronic equipment. It is important to discard e-waste appropriately by using e-waste vendors that are certified by the Basel Action Network e-Stewards program. This system of certification is an independent audit that ensures recyclers do not throw e-waste into landfills and to only send to developing countries that have responsible and safe means of destruction and disposal.

There was a responsible electronics recycling act (HR 2284/ S. 1270) that was introduced in Congress in June of 2011. This Act would prevent the export of non-functional or shredded electronic scrap to developing countries and make it illegal to dump electronics into the landfill. It has been passed down to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment but as of today, the status is unknown.

Two great videos on the issues of e-waste;

Story of Electronics: Produced by the same organization as the Story of Stuff. An easy 20 minute video on where electronics go once they have no use.
60 Minutes Wasteland: First aired in 2009 and again in 2010, this gripping and telling investigative reporting on e-waste issues in China.

Go to eco-officiency’s website to learn about recommended places to recycle or donate unwanted computers and electronics.

PH: 303-517-5300 | Email: greenme@eco-officiency.com