by Clifta Frizzell

Created on: July 05, 2009   Last Updated: July 11, 2009

How Green Was my (Silicon) Valley

"E-Waste is a term for electronic products nearing the end of their useful life" and the United States "generates more of this type of waste than any other nation." according the the EPA. Electronics such as computers, TVs, Cellphones and FAX machines become outdated so quickly, due to rapidly advancing technology and planned obsolescence that the average consumer finds it cheaper and more convenient to replace old electronics rather than to repair them. The average lifespan of a computer is about 2-3 years, after that it's considered to be little better than a useless dinosaur. This produces in excess of 4.6 million tons of waste is the US alone, much of which ends up in landfills where lead and other dangerous chemicals can leach into the ground water, contaminating out drinking water and evaporating into the air. Much of it is also exported to China, Pakistan, India and other developing nations where workers taking the machines apart are exposed to toxic chemicals such as:

Lead: Which damages the peripheral nervous system, affects memory, vision, and muscle coordination as well as joint weakness, kidney damage and infertility.

Cadmium: Which damages lungs and can cause liver and kidney disease as well as brain damage.

Mercury: A neurotoxin that can cause fetal damage, paralysis and death.

Ted Smith of the Silicon Valley Coalition states, "The fruits of our high-Tech revolution are pure poison if these products are improperly disposed of at the end of their useful life."

Japan and the European Union are leading the pack in eliminating toxic chemicals in electronics and stepping up recycling laws. "The European Parliament recently approved two legislative mandates (i.e., the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and the Extended Producer Responsibility Act.) to require manufacturers to cover the recycling and collection costs of their own take back programs." Japanese companies like Fujitsu are developing lead-free products, and under Europe's Restrictions of Hazardous Substances Act "any manufacturer who wants to do business with Europe has to produce lead free products."

Although the US has been "irresponsible" and "shamefully negligent" according to the Basal Action Network, a number of American companies including Apple, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard have phased out lead in their products and are operating viable take-back programs to deal with outdated machines. "California law currently views non functioning cathode ray tubes from televisions and monitors as hazardous" and along with Massachusetts "has made it illegal to discard CRTs in landfills because of the lead content in the glass."

Unfortunately a lot of E-Waste is being sent to Africa, ostensibly to be re-used, But "one of the problems is that no one certifies whether outdated machines work before they hit the seaways." So traders sell the working machines and dump the rest to pollute the environment in these countries. This "toxic trade" is driven by profits rather than the desire to provide modern technology to developing countries. It creates a pipeline that sends tons of E-Waste to the poorest countries.

The flow of waste needs to be stopped at the source because as each country enacts laws to keep waste out it will "flow to the next country that has lax environmental standards". So what can we do? For a start we can buy products that that are guaranteed to be as toxin-free as possible, we can buy only from companies that have a viable take-back policy, and we can make an effort to either repair or pass on outdated electronics to reduce the amount that is thrown away. Remember, whats a "dinosaur" to you might be a "cheetah" to someone else.

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