In virtually every room on the Tufts campus, there are recycling bins for paper, bottles and cans. Though the process for recycling electronics may not be as obvious, it is also important: although electronic devices comprise less than four percent of total solid waste in America, they account for 70 percent of all hazardous waste.
According to Collective Good International, an organization that collects and resells cell phones, Americans dispose of more than 100 million cell phones each year. According to the National Safety Council, roughly 75 percent of people with old computers bury them in the closet instead of actively disposing of them, because they don't know what else to do with them.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), cathode ray tubes (CRTs), the leaded glass picture tubes found in computer monitors and television sets, are now banned from disposal in Massachusetts landfills and waste combustors because of their high lead content.
Exposure to small amounts of lead can contribute to learning and behavioral disorders, and high levels of lead exposure can be fatal. It is dangerous to have lead and other toxins in landfills because they can leach into groundwater.
"Municipalities typically send recycling brochures out to each household in the community which explains about CRT recycling," said Dawn Quirk, Tufts Facilities Department Recycling Coordinator. "Recycling CRTs is costly, and many cities and towns charge collection fees. The rubbish trucks won't pick up computers or televisions from the curb."
At Tufts, cell phones and printer cartridges can be recycled in the battery recycling bins dispersed throughout dorms and academic buildings. Battery recycling bins can be found in dorms including Tilton, Wren, South, and Houston. They're also available in Brown and Brew, Carmichael, Dewick, and the campus center, as well as in academic buildings including Anderson, Fletcher, and the Tisch Library.
The Tufts cell phone and printer cartridge program is only one example of popular recycling "take back" programs. "We don't receive many cell phones, maybe because there are many take back programs," Quirk said. "Old cell phone drives are used as fundraisers for schools, and many police departments accept them for domestic violence prevention."
Students have also found innovative ways of reusing old electronics. "When I got rid of my old cell phone, we sent it to family in Ecuador, who could make use of it," junior Andrea Andrade said.
The University also recycles Tufts-owned computers. To recycle a computer, monitor or printer, students can call the Tufts Recycles hotline (x73947) or email recycle@tufts.edu. A typical computer monitor contains four to five pounds of lead. Computers also contain mercury, cadmium, chromium and other hazardous materials.
Material from recycled monitors can be used in the manufacturing of new monitors. Precious metals contained in circuit boards can also be recovered, and the batteries in computers can be recycled. Whatever parts cannot be recycled end up in a landfill.
The National Recycling Coalition predicts that as many as 500 million computers will become obsolete by 2007. In Massachusetts alone, 25,000 tons of computers are disposed of, recycled, or placed in storage each year.
Tufts Recycles is working on establishing a more formal program to reuse and donate computers. There are also national and state programs for recycling and donating computers. Based in Massachusetts, the non-profit Recycling and Reuse Network collects old computers and donates them to non-profit organizations seeking donations. Donation forms can be submitted at www.recycles.org. Sharetechnology.org facilitates a similar exchange.
The Computers for Schools Association maintains a website to connect computer donors to schools in need of donations. The Massachusetts DEP also recommends checking with local TV repair shops or electronics retailers to see what recycling or donation options they might have to offer.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making electronics recycling regulations more stringent, and companies are complying. For example, Panasonic designers now use a 40-step review process to evaluate products, and part of this review examines how effectively and inexpensively the product can be recycled.
Starting next year, the European Union is planning on establishing new rules that require electronics companies to accept old products from consumers when they no longer have use for them. The company is then responsible for disposing of these products properly. Germany has already adopted such a law. These regulations are intended to incorporate disposal into the cost of the product.
