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AIT Continues E-Waste Efforts
As outlined in the January edition of the AIT eNewsletter, AIT Worldwide Logistics has recently partnered with a company called COM2 to properly, safely and legally recycle employee's excess and surplus computers, computer scrap, and electronic equipment.
AIT's corporate headquarters location in Itasca, Illinois, is now equipped with large bins encouraging employees to dispose of their consumer and/or industrial e-waste items, many of which may contain toxic substances including lead, mercury and cadmium.
On January 15, 2009, COM2 made their second pick-up of AIT's e-waste. COM2 conducts pick-ups of this equipment on an as-needed basis as dictated by the AIT information technology team.
"We appreciate AIT's business at COM2 Recycling Solutions, and we are looking forward to working with them in the future," said Donna Vojensky, director of marketing and sales for COM2.
COM2 recycles e-waste items including:
- Computers and monitors
- Televisions
- Printers, copiers, and fax machines
- Phones and cell phones
- Microwaves
- Batteries (Consumer and Commercial)
- Light bulbs
- Data storage media
- Coax and other cable/wires
- Stereos, VCRs, DVD players, etc.
- Batteries and battery-operated items
- Household entertainment centers
- Excess plastic and metal parts
Alarmed by the toxicity and carcinogenicity of many substances contained in "e-waste," AIT is only one of thousands of other companies who have chosen to take action in properly processing and recycling their employee's unwanted or obsolete electronics.
For example, a typical computer monitor may contain more than 6% lead by weight, much of which is in the lead glass of the CRT. Capacitors, transformers, PVC insulated wires, PVC coated components that were manufactured before 1977 often contain dangerous amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls. In fact, it's been estimated that up to thirty-eight separate chemical elements are incorporated into electronic waste items. (Statistic Source: Wikipedia)
E-Waste Trends and Statistics
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the use of electronic products has grown substantially over the past two decades, changing the ways and speeds in which we communicate and disseminate information and entertainment. Our growing reliance on electronics is illustrated by some remarkable figures. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Americans own approximately 24 electronic products per household.
Although electronics comprise a small percentage of the total municipal solid waste stream, the quantity of electronic waste that we are generating is steadily increasing. In 1998, the National Safety Council Study estimated that about 20 million computers became obsolete in one year. Fast forward to 2007 - that number has more than doubled according to EPA's most recent estimates. EPA conducted a closer analysis of the management of select electronic products:
- Televisions
- Computers (desktops, monitors, and notebooks)
- Computer mice and keyboards
- Hard copy peripherals (printers, scanners, and fax machines)
- Cell phones
EPA examined product sales, usage patterns, and end-of-life (EOL) management patterns. The key findings are summarized here. More detailed information on the analysis is provided below.
Key Findings on the Management of Select Electronic
Products in the US in 2007
Storage
Of products sold between 1980 and 2007, approximately 235 million units had accumulated in storage as of 2007.
Estimated Number of Units in Storage as of 2007
|
| Product Type |
Number
(million units) |
| Desktop computer |
65.7 |
| Computer monitors |
42.4 |
| Portable computers (notebooks) |
2.1 |
| Televisions |
99.1 |
| Hard copy peripherals |
25.2 |
| Total |
234.6 |
* EPA does not have information to estimate the number of cell phones currently in storage. |
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Recycling vs. Disposal
Of the 2.25 million tons of TVs, cell phones and computer products ready for end-of-life (EOL) management, 18% (414,000 tons) was collected for recycling and 82% (1.84 million tons) was disposed of, primarily in landfills.
From 1999 through 2005, recycling rate was relatively constant at about 15%. During these years, the amount of electronics recycled increased but the percentage did not because the amount of electronics sent for end of life management increased each year as well.
For 2006-2007, the recycling rate increased to 18%, possibly because several states have started mandatory collection and recycling programs for electronics.
| |
Generated
(million of units) |
Disposed
(million of units) |
Recycled
(million of units) |
Recycling Rate
(by weight) |
| Televisions |
26.9 |
20.6 |
6.3 |
18% |
| Computer Products* |
205.5 |
157.3 |
48.2 |
18% |
| Cell Phones |
140.3 |
126.3 |
14.0 |
10% |
* Computer products include CPUs, monitors, notebooks, keyboards, mice, and hard copy peripherals. |
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Source: The Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/manage.htm
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Going Green eNewsletter,
please contact the AIT Marketing Department. |
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