Old Computers, New Challenges
by Supriya Nayalkar
When lawmakers passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act two decades ago, they didn't anticipate how prevalent and sophisticated computers would become. Nor could they have predicted the huge waste stream, both solid and hazardous, modern computers would create.
Federal lawmakers still haven't stated clearly which computer components are hazardous. Printed circuit boards, the guts of a computer's central processing unit, are generally regarded as hazardous--but because they contain recoverable quantities of copper and precious metals, some states allow them to be sold off as scrap metal and exempt them under RCRA.
Federal lawmakers still haven't stated clearly which computer components are hazardous. |
Computer monitors are believed to be hazardous because their glass contains small quantities of lead that could leach into landfills and contaminate ground water. As a result, some newspapers pay metals brokers either to send the lead-containing portions of their computers to a lead smelter or disassemble them to recover marketable metals and properly dispose of the rest.
Whoever ultimately receives your computers has to know what they're getting, dispose of them according to EPA guidelines (if they're in the United States) and provide you with evidence of both.
Most small newspapers and households generate small amounts of hazardous waste, and federal law allows them to dispose of their computers in municipal solid-waste landfills. Increasingly, however, municipalities and landfill operators are limiting their potential liability by not accepting "household hazardous waste." Individual landfills may refuse to accept computers, saying it is illegal for them to do so.
The situation is even more complicated for large newspapers, which may discover they are now generators of hazardous waste solely because of the large quantities of computers they throw out. Many businesses fear they may be victims of another Superfund--violating laws not yet on the books, only to pay huge penalties later.
Until laws catch up to the science, newspapers should err on the side of caution and not dump their computers in landfills, advises Nancy Helm, waste-minimization coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency's Region X. Federal penalties for improper disposal of computers aren't common, but disregarding EPA guidelines could result in fines as high as $25,000. State fines could run at least as high as federal ones, but businesses can't be fined more than once for the same violation. To find out the requirements that apply to you, contact your state's hazardous waste program, typically part of the department of state or the state's department of environmental protection.
So just what can you do with your old computers? If they aren't too ancient, you could repair or upgrade them and try to sell or donate them to schools, libraries or other organizations.
Also, you can look in the Yellow Pages under "scrap metal" or "recycling" for vendors that can take your computers. Consider tapping into national vendors such as R. Frazier U.S. Inc. at (800) 727-4258 or Advanced Recovery at (201) 450-9797, who specialize in the computer-disposal industry.
Computer manufacturers are increasingly initiating "take-back programs" as well. Dell Financial Services at (800) 955-3355, for example, will come to your facilities, haul off your old computers, either dispose of them or resell them, and give you credit toward your future computer purchases if you have Dell Computer equipment or even a combination of Dell and other brands.
Finally, check out EPA's World Wide Web site for listings of other disposal contacts and donation opportunities. Go to http://www.epa.gov/r10earth, then click on the following (in this order): "offices and programs," "office of waste and chemicals," "prevention and recycling." Then choose "recycling," and scroll down until you reach the section on computers.
Supriya Nayalkar is a free-lance writer based in Washington, D.C. E-mail, SupriyaN@aol.com; phone, (202) 337-5960.