Issue 5 (September 1, 2005) TABLE OF CONTENTS. (Click on the heading to take you to the section of interest)

Transcription

1 WEEE Bytes! Issue 5 (September 1, 2005) WEEE Bytes! is a news brief summarizing the latest developments and events in the collection, processing and recycling of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment from around the region, nation, and world. WEEE Bytes! is brought to you by the West Michigan Electronic Waste Recycling Coalition. Please direct any questions or submit newsworthy material for inclusion in the next issue to Sustainable Research Group, at cboyd@sustainableresearchgroup.com TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click on the heading to take you to the section of interest) I. LOCAL AND STATE NEWS II. NATIONAL NEWS III. INTERNATIONAL NEWS IV. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES V. OTHER I. LOCAL AND STATE NEWS RECYCLE AMERICA (Grand Rapids) recycles electronic waste and cell phones. The e- scrap is collected in Grand Rapids and shipped to Chicago for dismantling. After dismantling the parts are shipped to various companies for further processing. None of these processors are in third world countries - Recycle America is committed to not exporting electronic waste. [For more information, contact Don Byrnes or Jeff Lubbers at (616) ] ReCellular, Inc. based in Dexter, Michigan is the world s largest collector, reseller and recycler of cell phones. In August 2005, ReCellular announced its purchase of Green e-certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from nationwide renewable energy generators to supply 50% of their electricity needs. This an annual commitment for 582 megawatt hours (MWh) will be supplied through 50% biomass resources and 50% wind. ReCellular joins 13 other Michigan organizations that are a part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Green Power Partnership. The latter is a voluntary program that works to standardize green power procurement as part of a best management practice for corporate environmental management systems. (Source: ReCellular, Inc.;

2 II. NATIONAL NEWS 1. Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) has opened its new National Capital Recycling Center (NCRC) in Maryland to service government agencies and private corporations in the Maryland, Virginia and greater Washington D.C. area. The center will accept donations of any circuit board-containing electronic item (except white goods). A Certificate of Recycling will be provided upon request. Electronics collected at the new facility will be shipped to one of seven UNICOR recycling factories, which are located at federal prisons utilizing prison labor for disassembly. In WEEE Bytes! Issue 2 (June 2005) it was reported that UNICOR was one of eight recipients to receive a contract to recycle electronics through the one-year US EPA Government Wide Acquisition Contracts for Recycling Electronics and Asset Disposition program. [Source: 2. On August 1, the Solid Waste Management Board of Indiana filed a notice of intent to establish rules regarding the collection, reporting, processing, storage and disposal requirements for electronic waste [Source: Waste News; August 15, 2005] 3. On July 26, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works convened an oversight hearing to address electronic waste issues. Testimonies were given by politicians, environmental groups, and trade associations with a stake in the electronic waste arena. The focal point of the hearing was the bipartisan legislation to create a national electronics recycling system, the Electronic Waste Recycling and Promotion and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jim Talent, R-Mo.). This piece of legislation was covered in the first issue of WEEE Bytes! (May 2005). Some extra information is that the Act would establish an $8-per unit tax credit for companies that recycle at least 5000 computer monitors or systems per year. Consumers that recycled their old computers or televisions at a qualified recycler would receive a $15 tax credit. These incentives help soften the proposal of the Act to ban the disposal of monitors and television sets larger than four inches and all computers in municipal solid waste landfills. [Source: Waste News; 1 August, 2005] 4. In response to the July congressional hearing discussed above, leaders of the National Solid Wastes Management Association and the Solid Waste Association of North America sent a letter to Senator John Thume (R-S.D.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Superfund and Solid Waste Management subcommittee, refuting testimony made at the hearing. Specifically, they refuted testimony that claimed that cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were too hazardous to safely dispose of in municipal solid waste landfills. According to the letter, these trade associations recognize that recycling electronics should be the first option, but wanted to make it clear that today s Subtitle D landfills are engineered to prevent leakage. (To date, four states have already banned CRTs from the landfill, and many more states are considering such a ban) [Source: Waste News; 19 August, 2005]

3 5. As the debate on the funding mechanism for a state-wide electronic waste recycling infrastructure ensues, many parties are closely scrutinizing the success of California s Advanced Recycling Fee approach currently in operation. In a recent development, Governor Schwarzenegger on 18 th July signed into law Assembly Bill 575. This Bill allows a retailer to elect to pay the covered electronic waste recycling fee on behalf of the consumer by paying the fee to the retailer s vendor. The covered electronic waste recycling fee becomes a debt owed by the vendor to the state, and the retailer is not liable for the fee. [Source: Waste News; 1 August, 2005] 6. The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) has added a number of useful resources pertaining to electronic waste issues to the Information Clearinghouse on their website ( Informational items include: overview studies, advocacy group reports, NEPSI documents, congressional hearing documents, Pilot Electronics Collection Program Reports, State Study Committee Reports, electronics disposal studies, reports on materials in electronics, environmentally sound management guidelines, EPA documents, and reports on international efforts. III. INTERNATIONAL NEWS 1. On August 17, 2005 Greenpeace International released a report of chemical analyses documenting the sever environmental contamination and health risks arising from electronic waste recycling in China and India. More than 70 samples were collected in March from industrial waste, soil and groundwater in Guiyu Town (Guangdong Province, southern China) and Mayapuri and Buradi districts of New Delhi (India). These areas are known to dismantle discarded American electronics to recover valuable metals. Three years ago Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and the Basel Action Network exposed the shocking truth about electronic waste recycling in these same areas, and, thereby, increased public awareness and outrage over the issues of exporting e-waste from the USA to other countries for processing. This first report was powerful in its photographic and emotive documentation of the working conditions with the lack of adequate protection for human health and safety, and environmental contamination. However, only a small number of samples were analyzed, specifically for lead contamination. The latest study revisited the areas and performed more detailed chemical testing. Several chemicals were present at very high concentrations that have public health advocates in the USA concerned over this scientific proof of the health risks associated with improperly managed e-waste processing. The main chemicals of concern measured in the samples included lead, cadmium, PCBs, PBDE, antimony and mercury. Dust collected from the electronics-dismantling workshops contained the highest levels of contaminants. For example, the levels of lead in workshops processing solder were hundreds of times higher than the typical levels recorded for indoor dust; dust from battery dismantling workshops in Mayapuri and Buradi districts contained cadmium levels that were 40,000 times higher than typical indoor levels. In conclusion, this report again exposes many of the environmental and social ethical problems associated with exporting e-waste from the USA to countries that

4 do not have the appropriate infrastructure to manage the waste. [The report can be viewed and downloaded in PDF format from: 2. Since May 2003, Sharp Corporation (Tokyo) has being employing a recycling technology that enables the repeated use of polypropylene and polystyrene recovered from discarded household air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators and washing machines. In Japan, the Home Appliance Recycling Law requires that specified categories of discarded household electrical appliances be recycled. Now, in August 2005, Sharp has announced the development of a new technology that enables the blending of the recycled (waste) plastic with plant-based plastics (primarily derived from corn) thereby enhancing the renewable content of electronic products. Sharp is currently conducting tests to assess the commercial potential, with the goal of using the blended plastic in Sharp products within fiscal It is estimated that by fiscal 2010, products may contain as much as 30% of the blend. [Source: GreenBiz.com; August 22, 2005] [See similar developments in the Other section below] IV. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES To determine the status of legislation or for a more detailed analysis: Michigan: visit and type in the Bill Number Federal: visit and type in the Bill number NEW legislation or a change in the STATUS of a bill is highlighted in RED. Additionally, updates and more in-depth analysis of pending legislation will periodically be provided at Board meetings of the West Michigan Electronic Waste Recycling Coalition. Status of Federal Legislation pertaining to electronic waste: S.510.IS of 2005; The Electronic Waste Recycling and Promotion and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, [Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.)] - seeks to ban certain electronics from landfills and incinerators, and to create a national infrastructure to recycle end-of-life electronics; a national system would pre-empt any state plan. Status: 3/3/05 - Committee on Finance H. R. 425; National Computer Recycling Act [Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)] - to establish a grant and fee program through the Environmental Protection Agency to encourage and promote the recycling of used computers and to promote the development of a national infrastructure for the recycling of used computers, and for other purposes. Status: 2/25/ Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.

5 Status of Michigan legislation pertaining to electronic waste: HB 4155 of 2005 (Chris Kolb) would ban the disposal of CRTs in municipal solid waste incinerators; Status: 2/2/05 - Committee on Natural Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and Environment HB 4156 of 2005 (Chris Kolb) would ban the disposal of CRTs in solid waste landfills; Status: 2/2/05 - Committee on Natural Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and Environment SB 158 of 2005 (Liz Brater) would ban the disposal of mercury-containing products, including CRTs from solid waste landfills and incinerators; Status: 2/3/05 Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs SB 0218 of 2005 (Patricia Birkholz) calls for the amendment of 1994 PA 451 to include the ban of the disposal to landfill of CRTs from televisions and computer monitors; also calls for the formation of task force to address the adequacy of regulatory programs related to the disposal of electronic waste; Status: 2/17/05 Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs SB 495 of 2005 (Garcia, Johnson, Brater and Bishop) landfill ban on a wide range of consumer electronics in addition to computers and TVs; requires State to establish recycling procedures for state-owned consumer electronics; State is required to study the potential for a state-wide recycling infrastructure no later than 1 year after this bill is enacted; Status: 5/11/05 Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Additionally, in 2005, there have been a total of 14 bills introduced to either the Michigan Senate or House calling for a prohibition/restriction on the use and selling of mercury-containing products and their disposal to landfill and incinerators. For example: HB 4754 of 2005 (Chris Kolb) requires appliance recyclers to remove mercury from mercury-containing appliances before recycling; Status: 5/10/05 - referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and Environment

6 V. OTHER 1. Bio-based computer casings A joint venture between the Japanese companies Fujitsu Ltd., Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd, and Toray Industries Inc. has succeeded in developing a casing for notebook computers that contains plant-based materials. The bioplastic (mostly corn-derived polylactate) is mixed one to one with conventional petroleum-based resins, which provides the necessary durability and flame resistance. This composite can then be used in about 60 percent of the notebook casing, including the back of the display and the bottom of the main body. Although the cost of the new material is significantly higher than the conventional materials, the companies claim its use will be the product more biodegradable and recyclable. Also the new technology is purported to reduce the petroleum consumption during production by one liter per notebook. Fujitsu will feature the new bioplastics casing in its spring 2005 models of notebook computers.