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January 9, 2005

THE CITY

About That Old Computer...

Now that the holidays are over, we find ourselves wondering what the happy owners of new computers and televisions did with their old models. This is not idle curiosity. Unless these electronic devices are redeployed as coffee tables, they might wind up as trash on the streets of New York. That is not illegal - although it should be. E-waste, as it is known, is toxic. It is also the next big challenge in managing the city's mountain of garbage.

A computer monitor or TV can contain seven pounds of lead, buried beneath the screen. Usually there are various amounts of two other heavy metals, mercury and cadmium, in the cathode ray tube or in components like circuit boards. Cellphone batteries contain some of the same pollutants.

Many discarded electronic devices end up with the regular trash at an incinerator in New Jersey, where they can produce toxic fumes. Or they are taken to a landfill, where pollutants leach into the soil. Within two years, there may be 500 million obsolete computers in the United States, many of them here. Add to that the televisions orphaned with the proliferation of flat-screen models, and you begin to get the picture.

The city has addressed the problem in a limited way, by, for example, sponsoring recycling events with equipment makers Dell and Lexmark. One event on Staten Island last fall retrieved five tons of electronics. But by one estimate, there are more than 75,000 tons of personal computers discarded yearly in the city and that doesn't count those stored by owners who would like to get rid of them. A bigger push is needed. Mayor Michael Bloomberg seemed to acknowledge that when he called for an initiative for electronics recycling in his solid waste management plan last year, a good first step, especially coming on the heels of the example the mayor has set on other recyclables. His decision to restore programs to recycle glass, plastics and metals was good for both the environment and the economy.

The City Council is taking its own lead on e-waste and is working on recycling legislation that may call on the Department of Sanitation to schedule several special pickup days for electronics. That promises to be a useful element in a wider solution.

New York can learn what not to do by studying California's struggles with an e-waste recycling program, which it finances with an upfront fee of as much as $10 on the purchase of televisions, PC's and other devices. The program has created a whole new bureaucracy and a process so inconvenient it may be discouraging participation.

A better approach may be to hold manufacturers responsible for the products they produce. Some companies do have programs to take back computers, although they charge the consumer. Maine - taking a cue from European countries and Canada - requires municipalities to help collect the items for delivery to a consolidator, who manages the recycling and bills the manufacturers. Besides providing a way to keep poisons from the air, soil and water, this system might also encourage a more intelligent and less toxic design of our machines.

E-waste deserves urgent attention. In the meantime, New Yorkers need to do their part and resist the urge to just dump stuff on the street. We recommend that consumers explore recycling options. One way is to go to www.nycwasteless.org and examine its lists of manufacturers' take-back programs for old computers.

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company