By Laura Lynch and David Yennior
When television broadcasts switch over to high-definition (HD) next year, many people will be discarding their old TV sets for new, HD- compatible ones. Each piece of electronics kicked to the curb contains toxins such as lead, mercury, nickel cadmium, lithium, zinc, bromated flame retardants, and PVCs. When these toxic boxes are incinerated with municipal waste, or buried in landfills, they release those heavy metals and harmful chemicals into the air and groundwater.
California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington had already decided to do something about toxic electronic waste when New Jersey joined them by enacting the Electronics Waste Recycling Act in January 2008. Electronic waste can no longer be put out with the trash. Instead, it must be recycled.
Much of what we use in our homes contains some form of electronic controls, so what, exactly, are we supposed to be recycling? According to the law, a “covered electronic device” is a “desktop or personal computer, computer monitor, portable computer, or television sold to a consumer.”
Electronics manufacturers doing business in New Jersey are responsible for collecting and recycling their own devices. Those that accept for recycling more than they are required to take receive credits which they can either apply to the following year’s allotment or sell to another manufacturer. Any manufacturer that doesn’t comply is fined.
Meanwhile, every electronics retailer must provide information on how to recycle old electronics. Dealers must also tell buyers where unwanted electronics can be dropped off. In addition, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will provide, via the web, more information on electronics recycling. The law also mandates that municipalities inform their residents about where and when electronics can be recycled.
Nearly a year into the new law, the DEP’s online list of recyclers is a bit thin on coverage, but phone numbers, and in some cases, web addresses, are provided. The list can be found at http:// www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/ lrm/uwaste/ucomplist.htm. Two other online resources fill some gaps. One, searchable by county, lists all municipal recycling coordinators: http:// www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/ recycle/recycoor.htm. The other lists commercial recyclers, searchable by state: http://www.eiae.org/recycler/index.php.
If there is still some life left in the old equipment, there are two other options to consider. The first is a charitable donation to an organization such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army, or any local organization that can use an old computer for educational purposes. The second is Freecycle (http:// www.freecycle.org, searchable by community), the equivalent of an online garage sale where no money changes hands. Charitable donations and Freecycle give a second life to equipment that would otherwise be discarded.
As the age of HD TV approaches, don’t put your old TV on the curb. Put it in your trunk instead and take it to a recycler.
To read the NJ Electronic Waste Recycling Act (A- 3572-SCS), go to http:// www.judiciary.state.nj.us/ legis/2007c347_law.pdf. For everything you ever wanted to know about electronic waste recycling, go to http:// www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=electroni cs/elec_index.asp. For a simpler primer on the subject, try http://www.state.nj.us/ dep//dshw/recycle/brochures/ recycling%20brochures/ ewaste.pdf. For more information on sustainable living, go to http://sustainablelawrence.org.
Laura Lynch is Conservation Chair and David Yennior is Recycling Issues Coordinator for the New Jersey Sierra Club.
