Where do all the old models go? State and federal governments, along with industry, are trying to manage the flood of electronic waste.

As the digital future becomes more and more a reality it leaves in its wake the old, the obsolete and the orphaned.

With each new generation of computers, phones, televisions and other electronic equipment, the question of what to do with the old models becomes more pressing. The rapid advancements in technology that lead to new and ever-changing electronic devices make the effective management of the quickly outdated products more critical.

The amount of electronic or e-waste present in the national waste stream continues to grow rapidly. The reduce-reuse-recycle model that worked with solid waste--reducing the amount of waste generated and reusing or recycling the products created--is important to effective management of e-waste. However, in 2000, while 2,124,400 tons of electronic waste was generated in the United States only 193,700 tons, or about 9 percent, was recovered for reuse or recycling.

TOXIC TRASH

One particular problem for states and localities in managing the flow of electronic waste is the huge amount that goes into landfills. It results in two main problems: volume and toxicity. The sheer volume of e-waste threatens to overwhelm available landfill space. And the degradation of e-waste in landfills can release toxic materials into the environment.

Computer monitors and other electronics contain such toxics as lead, mercury and fire retardants that may be released as the units are compacted and broken in the landfilling process. Although most landfills have liners, there is mounting concern that as the waste degrades, the toxins could pose a serious threat to air and groundwater and ultimately to human health.

Minnesota and Virginia have banned electronics from landfills and similar "e-ban" legislation has been introduced in six other states. Minnesota's ban on cathode ray tubes goes into effect July 1. Virginia law allows localities to ban e-waste from landfills if there is a recycling program in place.

The pending legislation introduced this year ranges from general e-waste bans in Arkansas, Nevada, New York and North Carolina to specific bans of cathode ray tubes in Hawaii and Michigan.

These bills are just one piece of the puzzle of how to manage the end-of-life of electronics. Recent action in the Maryland General Assembly puts the state on par with California and Maine in passing comprehensive e-waste legislation. The legislature passed a law that establishes a statewide computer recycling program structured to encourage manufacturers to design for easy disassembly and recycling.

"What we're doing is asking computer designers to use their brilliance up front to plan for the full life cycle of their products," says Delegate Dan Morhaim, who sponsored the bill. The Maryland program requires any manufacturer that produces more than 1,000 computers a year to register with the state and pay an annual $5,000 fee into the existing Recycling Trust Fund. If a manufacturer implements its own takeback program, subsequent annual fees will be reduced to $500.

The legislation won bipartisan support in the legislature as well as from the Maryland Department of Environment, manufacturers, retailers, county officials and the governor.

"The measure is pro-business, pro-environment, pro-health and pro-taxpayer," says Morhaim. "With the broad base of support and far-reaching benefits, hopefully others will see this law as a model for legislation at the state and federal level."

The national discussion on electronics management follows the three variations of end-of-life electronics management enacted by states. Maryland and Maine focus on the producer responsibility, although implementation of their programs will be vastly different. In Maine, beginning next year for computers and 2012 for televisions, manufacturers are responsible for handling and recycling monitors received at consolidation facilities and paying the costs involved.

California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act enacted in 2003 and amended in 2004, made it the first state to impose an advance recycling fee on the sale of electronic products. Retailers collect a $6-to-$10 fee on cathode ray tubes, liquid crystal displays and plasma devices, the price depending on size. The fees go into a fund to manage the statewide recycling program.

Not everyone--especially within the industry--supports state-by-state approaches to e-waste. Parker Brugge of the Consumer Electronics Association says that his association "advocates a national program for the management of end-of-life electronics" because it would bring uniformity to laws and regulations.

In one attempt to address this need for uniformity, legislators from 10 Northeastern states began efforts in late April to draft model legislation that will be introduced next session across the region. Among the items for consideration are a recycling fee and what products should be covered. Maureen Riehl, vice president and government and industry relations counsel for the National Retail Federation, calls the recycling fee "a new tax on consumers and an administrative burden for retailers." She also says recycling fees raise interstate commerce issues since out-of-state, on-line and mail-order sellers could not be forced to collect the tax.

FEDS CONCERNED, TOO

Congress is working on solutions as well. In April, five members formed a working group to push for hearings and legislation to reduce and recycle electronic waste. Various pieces of legislation have already been introduced. They include establishing tax incentives for industry and consumers for recycling old personal electronics equipment. And one bill would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a national electronic waste recycling grant program. Grants would go to municipalities, individuals and organizations to start e-waste recycling programs.

INDUSTRY RESPONDS

Advancing legislation sets up the prospects for future management of e-waste, but the problem exists today. Voluntary efforts have been under way for some time, many from industry itself. Computer giant Dell was the first to offer free home pickup and recycling of old computers with the purchase of a Dell product. The company also offers a no-purchase-necessary home pickup for a small fee and accepts any make or model computer equipment. Dell reports that in 2004 it collected 35 million pounds of computer gear for recycling. Since 1992, HP has designed products that are environmentally friendly from the time they are purchased to the time they are thrown out.

"Our Design for Environment program is a key element in our commitment to global citizenship," says John Frey, manager of Environmental Strategies and Sustainability. "It is focused on three priority areas--energy efficiency, materials innovation and design for recyclability." In addition, HP's Product Take Back Organization has been doing in-house recycling since 1987, handling monthly volumes equal to 4,000,000 pounds or 48,000 pieces. Cingular, Wireless, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless accept all brands of cell phones and batteries for recycling in their retail centers at no cost to customers.

States are likely to continue the effort to come to grips with this escalating problem in the absence of a national solution. During the first four months of this year alone, bills were introduced in at least 26 states nearly surpassing the number for all of 2004. For now, while the ultimate solution is evasive, it is clear that the combination of state, federal and industry initiatives already out there are working toward the ultimate goal of recycling yesterday's products today.