OLD ELECTRONICS CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.

Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer

Getting a new computer for Christmas or Hanukkah this year? Great. Now what are you going to do with the old one?

If you're like most Californians, you'll try to do the right thing - store it in a closet and hope to find a home for it later. Every day in California, another 10,000 computers and televisions stop being used by their owners. Because the cost of repairing and refurbishing often exceeds their value, many consumers find they're unable to give away their electronic discards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that only 13 percent of the 20 million obsolete computers were reused or recycled in 1998.

As awareness grows of the nation's mounting electronic waste problem, more and more groups are coming to the rescue. Organizations such as the National Recycling Coalition and the Electronic Industries Alliance Consumer Education Initiative have launched Web sites to help consumers either recycle or donate their used equipment. As of October, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works began accepting electronics at hazardous waste roundups. Since there's no additional funding to handle e-waste, the county reduced the overall number of roundups, said Melinda Barrett, program manager for the household hazardous waste program.

``If people dump a computer or television on the side of the road or in the trash where it doesn't belong, that becomes a public health issue,'' Barrett said. ``This is the safest way and the proper way to manage that waste.''

At 2 million tons a year in California alone, e-waste has become the fastest-growing category of solid waste, according to Californians Against Waste. Concerned with lead-filled cathode ray tubes (CRTs), last year the state banned computers and televisions from landfills. Cell phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and other electronics with quick turnover rates also are a cause for concern, said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste.

``There's also lead in virtually every electronic device that has solder - and virtually every single one does,'' Murray said. ``It's a process of testing to see if they leak in the landfill.''

Earlier this year, Gov. Gray Davis vetoed legislation that would have required a fee upon purchase that would pay for e-waste recycling. In his veto message, Davis challenged electronics manufacturers to create a recycling infrastructure and praised the European model in which the industry is responsible for disposal.

The Electronic Industries Alliance Consumer Education Initiative, a national trade organization representing manufacturers, says such plans are under way. The group has been studying the results of recycling pilot programs in different parts of the country and hopes to implement a national collection model, said Heather Bowman, the group's director of environmental policy.

``We need a system that works on a national basis that allows for convenient recycling on the local level,'' she said.

Some companies, such as Hewlett Packard and IBM, allow customers to pay a fee and return their used electronics to the company for recycling. But such policies are not uniform across the industry. State Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, authored the Senate bill vetoed by Davis and plans to hold the industry to its promises. She's ready to introduce e-waste legislation again next year.

``The industry has got to take more responsibility for cleaning up after the new technologies that they've created,'' Romero said. ``I don't think Hewlett Packard, Sony or IBM are going to go bankrupt because we put demands on them to clean up after themselves.''

Don't toss that old PC in the trash

Many agencies have set up Web sites to help consumers find ways to donate or recycle their computer equipment, televisions, cell phones and other electronic devices.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works:

dpw.co.la.ca.us/epd/hhw/ewaste.cfm

California Integrated Waste Management Board's Electronic Waste Database:

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Electronics/Collection

Environmental Protection Agency:

www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/solidwaste/electronics.htm

National Recycling Center:

www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/resources.htm

Electronics Industry Alliance Consumer Education Initiative: www.eiae.org

- M.T.

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Don't toss that old PC in the trash (see text)