- Recycling feels good because we imagine it as just this kind of alchemy — which
- Umicore achieves with impressive environmental controls. ...
Excellent Article on the recycling Industry! It even mentions Basel!
Showing posts with label electronic recycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electronic recycling. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Electronic Recycling - The Reality
I was at my daughter's high school today for an open house. In one of the classes I saw a poster board about E-Recycling as I passed, so I went in to talk to the student. The student was talking about how they could use Electronic Recycling for raising money for schools. So I asked, since we are in California, which recycler they were using. And they mentioned a company for cell phones. I asked what they got paid for, and got the answer that showed a lack of understanding of the economics of Electronic Recycling.
There are a few non-profit Electronic Recyclers, but the largest ones are for profit. And they are willing to pay collectors and larger sources for display devices covered under SB20/SB 50. The majority of the money is in CRT's still (this is changing). Cell Phones have a higher per pound value and with the huge turnover our a source of funds, but with businesses changing over entire offices from CRT's to LCD's, and at 20 cents or so payments from Collectors, and with each CRT weighing 20 lbs or more, this is a great source of funds. With schools, many of them have smarted up and have applied to become collectors or are actually setting up their used electronics for bidding.
So what is the value of a CRT?
There are a few non-profit Electronic Recyclers, but the largest ones are for profit. And they are willing to pay collectors and larger sources for display devices covered under SB20/SB 50. The majority of the money is in CRT's still (this is changing). Cell Phones have a higher per pound value and with the huge turnover our a source of funds, but with businesses changing over entire offices from CRT's to LCD's, and at 20 cents or so payments from Collectors, and with each CRT weighing 20 lbs or more, this is a great source of funds. With schools, many of them have smarted up and have applied to become collectors or are actually setting up their used electronics for bidding.
So what is the value of a CRT?
- Some people still use CRT's, so rumor has it some Electronic Recyclers don't go through the hassle of recycling, but just export container loads and make a few dollars. Recycling gets into lead glass issues which is a headache (it should be recycled into more CRT's, but how many CRT's are still being made?).
- The Copper Yoke is worth a few dollars.
- The Printed Circuit boards are worth a few pennies per lbs.
- The plastic case of a CRT can be sold. Crushed and bailed using a bailer.
- If a TV with a wood case, the wood needs to be disposed of. Some places can recycle it, but most don't.
- The leaded glass costs money to dispose of. It's supposed to go to glass to glass operation or a lead smelter.
- To take apart a CRT costs money.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
E-Waste Segment on NPR
Heard this on NPR this morning - After the Techno Lust, There's Always E-Cycling
The segment mentioned the idea that the manufacturer responsibility based recycling was great. I disagree, where the California has many more recyclers since it's based on a fee that is pretty simple to administer. This way recyclers have an incentive to get the business and the huge growth in the number of recyclers and collectors in California are evidence of this.
The segment mentioned the idea that the manufacturer responsibility based recycling was great. I disagree, where the California has many more recyclers since it's based on a fee that is pretty simple to administer. This way recyclers have an incentive to get the business and the huge growth in the number of recyclers and collectors in California are evidence of this.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
China's E-Waste Headache
Mercury News continues their excellent coverage of China's imported E-Waste nightmare. The photo's from Ban's Web Site are eye opening.Why?
It is ten times cheaper to export e-waste than to dispose of it at home -
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cost. To save cost, it's legally exported to Hong Kong, then somehow it gets into China where it is unsafely worked on and anything of value is extracted. Open air acid baths, etc. Lead from the Electronics for example then turns up in Jewelry, often for kids. Why, because it's cheap. And on the somehow the eWaste gets into China, bribery... And why are not safer, more expensive methods used widely? Cost.
How?
You may ask, how does China allow this to continue? China's Central Environmental Agency has little power, the local one is controlled by the local government that does what they feel is best for their personal power (money talks), and the environmental issues are not widely reported inside China. I don't believe you are going to see a electronic recycling version of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair published soon in China. At least the activity is now illegal. It is troubling that reporters were detained 6 hours by the local police.
What?
What of the people's health? Contamination from mercury, lead, fluorine, barium, chromium, and cobalt continues. Lead causes brain damage, mercury causes central nervous system issues (think of the mad hatter, when mercury was used to make felt hats), and other metals/chemicals cause kidney and other health issues.
Used Computer Value
The size/weight of computers has been shrinking. The amount of precious metals (gold) has also been reduced. With the relentless cost reductions that allow a PC to be sold for $349 from Dell and with computers doubling in capacity every two years for the same price, how much is that 5 year old computer worth? Not much.
Ask, who would buy a 5 year old computer when they can get a new one for a little bit more? With the computer size weighing less and less, the amount of scrap value for a PC has been going down. PII Desktop per this article is worth under $50. And how many people want to pay shipping for a used computer, that is more than the computer is worth?
So it sits in a closet, gets donated, or hopefully recycled as it's E-Waste/eWaste. Hopefully, the hard drive in there has been scrubbed so no personal data is passed on. A ball pin hammer is a great way of permanently erasing a hard drive, but it reduces the value of the computer. If an old computer is only worth $50, who can afford to work on it in the US? For business, nobody since just to look at a computer with overhead costs $50. Much less removing a hard drive, wiping it, and then reinstalling a new OS.
Ask, who would buy a 5 year old computer when they can get a new one for a little bit more? With the computer size weighing less and less, the amount of scrap value for a PC has been going down. PII Desktop per this article is worth under $50. And how many people want to pay shipping for a used computer, that is more than the computer is worth?
So it sits in a closet, gets donated, or hopefully recycled as it's E-Waste/eWaste. Hopefully, the hard drive in there has been scrubbed so no personal data is passed on. A ball pin hammer is a great way of permanently erasing a hard drive, but it reduces the value of the computer. If an old computer is only worth $50, who can afford to work on it in the US? For business, nobody since just to look at a computer with overhead costs $50. Much less removing a hard drive, wiping it, and then reinstalling a new OS.
Electronic Recycling
Electronics and Computer recycling has a lot of costs, but most people don't want to pay. So what is a business to do? They take shortcuts. A web site that most recycling don't want you to know about BAN. Basel Action Network. The problem is electronics is not very healthy stuff. It is made with a lot of chemicals, metals, and plastics that pose health problems. Not to mention how the disassembly is done.
May be a electronics recycler takes apart the product here. Let's say a computer. The monitor is taken apart, glass crushed. Where is the glass being sent to? Who is paying for the labor to disassemble the computer? It's worth a few cents as raw components, but has some value if it's re-used. If re-used, who is going to pay for the data wiping for the few dollars a computer is worth? And if taken apart, who is the Printed Circuit Boards being sent to? How far downstream can this be monitored? What does it actually mean when a company has ISO 14001?
From what I can see of the industry, there is a huge amount of competition and a lot of interest in the industry. The challenge is actually recycling in an environmentally friendly way. Unfortunately as a consumer, it's hard to tell who is actually doing a environmentally friendly way. And since most people expect it be done for free, where is the incentive to do it right?
May be a electronics recycler takes apart the product here. Let's say a computer. The monitor is taken apart, glass crushed. Where is the glass being sent to? Who is paying for the labor to disassemble the computer? It's worth a few cents as raw components, but has some value if it's re-used. If re-used, who is going to pay for the data wiping for the few dollars a computer is worth? And if taken apart, who is the Printed Circuit Boards being sent to? How far downstream can this be monitored? What does it actually mean when a company has ISO 14001?
From what I can see of the industry, there is a huge amount of competition and a lot of interest in the industry. The challenge is actually recycling in an environmentally friendly way. Unfortunately as a consumer, it's hard to tell who is actually doing a environmentally friendly way. And since most people expect it be done for free, where is the incentive to do it right?
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