By John Sutter
States are wrestling with how best to dispose of e-waste, or consumer electronic products that aren’t useful anymore and can be toxic.
Some states prohibit landfills from accepting the waste, which contains several toxic parts including lead in computer monitors and television screens. The electronics are more difficult to recycle and more expensive to recycle than some other materials, particularly because toxic chemicals can be released during the recycling process if they’re not handled properly. Because it’s so expensive and dangerous, some of America and Europe’s e-waste winds up at landfills and recycling plants in developing countries, like those in West Africa, where workers can be exposed to the hazardous wastes.
The Oklahoma Legislature made a move to address the issue by passing a law last session will require computer companies in Oklahoma to take back and recycle worn-out computers. The law, which goes into effect Jan.1, will encourage the development of companies that can recycle e-waste in Oklahoma, said Fenton Rood, of the state Department of Environmental Quality (see video above). The law only applies to household computers, not those in office buildings, and it doesn’t cover other e-waste, like cell phones and televisions.
Before the law goes into effect, people in Oklahoma City can take their old computers and electronics to the city’s hazardous waste center. There’s only one other permanent hazardous waste collection center in the state, in Midwest City. Towns and cities in rural Oklahoma hold recycling events from time to time. Rood said the law is designed so that it hopefully will be more convenient for people to recycle their computers in the future.
The state Department of Environmental Quality is already discussing ways to implement the new law. Rood, who works in the department’s land protection division, said the new law lets the DEQ pay for its efforts by charging fees to computer companies, but that the department is not allowed to hire a person to run that program. Unless that piece of the law is changed, it will be impossible to make the required changes, he said.
Check out this congressional report to find out more about what other states are doing. Here are some frequently asked questions about hazardous waste from the state DEQ.