Computer
equipment includes personal computers (PCs), notebooks
(laptops), monitors and accessories such as cables,
printers, mice, scanners, keyboards and speakers.
Although computer equipment has made our life
much easier, it has also created a new type of
waste: electronic waste or e-waste for short.
E-waste is the fastest growing type of municipal
waste in the world. Studies in Europe show that
it is growing at three times the rate of other
municipal waste [June 2001 Electronics: A New
Opportunity for Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling,
United States Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov/osw/elec_fs.pdf accessed on 06/07/2006].
Why should you be concerned
about e-waste?
E-waste is more toxic than normal household rubbish.
Computers and other electronic devices contain
toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead and
mercury. The plastic casing and wiring of computer
equipment can also contain hazardous materials.
If e-waste is not disposed of in a responsible
way, it can seriously harm the environment, wildlife
and human health. Landfilling e-waste is not a
long term solution because it stores e-waste rather
than allows for recovery and reuse of valuable
materials.
Unwanted computer equipment
that is properly disassembled and recycled can
reduce the use of natural resources and prevent
hazardous substances from entering the environment.
Between 70 and 90 percent of the material in scrap
computer equipment (by weight) is potentially
recyclable or reusable [October 2000, Computers:
Material Fact Sheet Series, Recycling Council
of Ontario http://www.ban.org/Library/ComputerFactSheet.pdf
accessed on 06/07/2006]. For instance, materials
such as steel, aluminium, copper, glass and some
plastics can be recycled.
Buy green
You can also make a difference by purchasing new
equipment that has been designed with the environmental
impacts in mind or buy second-hand equipment to
give used products a new life. You can encourage
electronics manufacturers to design greener electronics
by purchasing environmentally preferable equipment
and by requesting take-back options at the time
of purchase.
Before buying new or second-hand
computer equipment:
Ask your retailer about electronics
that:
are made with fewer toxic constituents such as
lead-free solder or mercury-free back-lighting
in the monitor use recycled content, in the product
itself or in the packaging are energy efficient
(eg, showing the Energy Star label) are capable
of printing double-sided copies can use remanufactured
toner cartridges (applicable to printers) avoid
monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs), when possible.
Flat-panel display screens are more energy-efficient
than CRTs and do not need leaded glass – utilise
minimal packaging and packaging with a recycled
content have electronic versions of software instruction
manuals already installed offer leasing or take-back
options
have been recognised by independent certification
groups (such as the Swedish TCO (www.tcodevelopment.com)
or Blue Angel (http://www.blauer-engel.de/englisch/navigation/body_blauer_engel.htm)
as environmentally preferable.
Second-hand computer equipment
can be a good option for a rental or holiday home
or for people on restricted budgets such as students
[Request a warranty on any refurbished equipment.].
Many large organisations pass on high-quality
used computers to their employees. You may also
find what you are looking for from the numerous
second-hand outlets, websites and newspapers.
Lease equipment. When you need
new computer equipment, ask about lease options.
With a leased product, the old unit is returned
to the vendor when it is time to upgrade to a
newer product. Check the disposal policy of the
vendor.
Look for durable products. When
buying a new item, review the product’s repair
history and consumer reliability ratings. Choose
equipment that will meet your long term needs.
Look at equipment that can be
upgraded. This may cost more initially, but in
the long run it could be cheaper than replacing
an entire system. Buy computers that can accommodate
additional memory chips and other functions, such
as larger hard drives. Ask retailers for equipment
with maintenance contracts and extended warranties.
Use rechargeable batteries,
not single-use batteries whenever possible. Rechargeable
batteries may cost more initially but the cost
savings are quickly redeemed. Rechargeable batteries
also use significantly less energy over the lifetime
of the product.
A safe way to dispose of your
old computer equipment – reuse
It is better to repair and upgrade your equipment,
rather than replace it with something new. Repairing
an electronic item may also be cheaper than replacing
it. Some products can also be upgraded by replacing
a single component instead of the entire unit.
For example, a slow running computer may just
need some more memory or a larger hard-drive.
Many computers can be given a new lease of life
by simple maintenance work such as defragmenting
hard drives, and removing temporary files that
have accumulated.
A lot of people dispose of computer equipment
before it reaches the end of its life. You can
help reduce this waste by donating or selling
the products that you don’t want. This way, you
allow schools, non-profit organisations and lower-income
families to use equipment that they otherwise
may not be able to afford.
Before donating or selling your
computer equipment:
Make sure the equipment is in
good working order and reusable. Donation-receiving
organisations have limited resources to repair
hardware. Don’t pass on your waste disposal problem
to someone else.
Make the decision to sell or
donate equipment sooner rather than later. Leaving
equipment in storage depletes its useful value.
As a general rule, computer equipment that is
more than three to four years old can be difficult
to sell.
Remove all data from disk drives.
Use appropriate security wipe software. The Government
Communications Security Bureau (www.gcsb.govt.nz)
recommends www.blancco.com or www.comsecent.co.nz.
A safe way to dispose of your old computer equipment
– recycle
Although the Ministry for the Environment is actively
working with industry to implement take-back recycling
schemes for obsolete computers, there are currently
limited options for recycling your computer equipment
in New Zealand. Some suppliers may charge you
for their recycling service.
Due to the lack of facilities
currently available in New Zealand, companies
should be sending collected computer equipment
offshore for safe disposal and have a Basel permit
to show that is has been approved by the Ministry
of Economic Development [New Zealand is a member
of the international Basel Convention which controls
the movement of hazardous waste around the world
and ensures the waste is disposed of in an environmentally
sound manner. E-waste is subject to the Basel
Convention and a permit must be issued by the
Ministry of Economic Development before any export
from New Zealand can be made. Please see http://www.med.govt.nz/ers/environment/basel/index.html
for more information.].
Before recycling your computer
equipment:
Contact your computer supplier
or retailer and request information on their recycling
schemes. Brand owners will not provide the service
until customers demand it so it is good to express
your expectations about recycling.
Asset management and recovery
programmes are available to major corporations
and large purchasers of electronic equipment.
Ensure that your employer is aware of these services.
Ensure that your employer is using a recycler
that can guarantee the safe management of the
hazardous waste and sends a minimal percentage
of the product to landfill.
Ask your supplier to take back
used packaging as well.
A safe way to dispose of your old computer equipment
– toner cartridges
Toner cartridges also have negative impacts on
the environment (resource use, toxic materials
and waste generation). You can help reduce these
impacts by making simple changes when buying,
using and disposing of toner cartridges:
Ask for products with ecolabels
such as Environmental Choice.
Reduce your demand for printing supplies by using
black and white instead of colour, reducing font
size and the number of pages. Print draft documents
with your printer set to economy mode. Prefer
printing machines that require replacement of
toner only.
Send your used cartridges to a recycling programme.
Take-back systems are offered through major office
supply companies and some of the major office
equipment suppliers. Prefer packaging which has
recycled content and is recyclable.
Where available, prefer remanufactured cartridges
with a performance guarantee.
There are numerous companies in New Zealand that
sell recycled toner cartridges or that accept
used toner cartridges for reuse and recycling.
Here is a list of a few or have a look in the
Yellow Pages for companies near you.
