E-waste programs have been gathering steam in the past three years. And for good reason.
As estimated 50 million tons of old computers, discarded cell phones, abandoned televisions and homeless electronic gear is disposed of each year – including 30 million computers from the U.S. alone.
Reuses is a useful alternative for abandoned electronics. For instance, PCs are discarded with 60 percent of their expected lifespan remaining.
Much has gone to landfills, though now most major vendors and retailers have programs to recycle and, in some cases, reuse unwanted, out-of-date products. Hewlett-Packard, for instance, has recycling guidelines that date back to 2004 and this year imposed strong restrictions on the export of e-waste to the European Union and developing countries.
In short, with 21 states requiring electronics recycling, e-waste has come a long way. But one critic says it has a long way to go.
“I’m loath to call it a failure,” says Willie Cade, an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. But “I don’t think we’ve really tried.”
Cade aims his barbs at one, largely overlooked aspect of electronics recycling: equipment resuse. The average PC is built to last 20,000 hours, but is discarded with about 60 percent of this lifespan remaining. Many cell phones, external hard drives and other electronics products get turned with plenty of life left in them.
Knowing this can make e-waste handling more environmental friendly and responsible, says Cade. He says 20 percent of the waste collected by the company he founded – PC Builders & Recyclers – is reused instead of trashed and picked apart for working components or deposits of platinum, copper and silver.
It is a policy he would like to see others adopt (PS: some do, such as Dell) and states demand. With the volume of discarded electronics on the rise, such a move would make sense. And it could have valuable social benefits for poor, developing nations.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
