Greenpeace today launched the 'Guide to Greener Electronics', which ranks companies on their use of harmful chemicals and electronic waste recycling. (1) The guide will be used to create demand for toxic-free electronics which can be safely recycled, by informing consumers about company performance on these two issues. The scorecard ranks the 14 top mobile and PC producers and currently all fail to get a green ranking.

"The scorecard will provide a dynamic tool to green the electronics sector by setting off a race to the top. By taking back their discarded products, companies will have incentives to eliminate harmful substances used in their products, since this is the only way they can ensure safe reuse and recycling of electronic waste," said Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner.

Nokia and Dell share the top spot in the ranking. They believe that as producers they should bear individual responsibility for taking back and reusing or recycling their own-brand discarded products. Nokia leads the way on eliminating toxic chemicals, since the end of 2005 all new models of mobiles are free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and all new components to be free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from the start of 2007. Dell has also set ambitious targets for eliminating these harmful substances from their products.

Third place goes to HP, followed by Sony Ericsson (4th), Samsung (5th), Sony (6th), LG Electronics (7th), Panasonic (8th), Toshiba (9th), Fujitsu Siemens Computers (10th), Apple (11th), Acer (12th) and Motorola (13th).

Lenovo is in bottom position. It earns points for chemicals management and providing some voluntary product take back programmes, but it needs to do better on all criteria.

"It is disappointing to see Apple ranking so low in the overall guide. They are meant to be world leaders in design and marketing, they should also be world leaders in environmental innovation." said Kruszewska.

Companies have the opportunity to move towards a greener ranking as the guide will be updated every quarter. However penalty points will be deducted from overall scores if Greenpeace finds a company lying, practising double standards or other corporate misconduct. For now, companies are scored solely on information publicly available on their global websites.

The scoring is weighted more heavily on the use of toxic substances in production rather than criteria on recycling, because until the use of harmful substances is eliminated in products, it is impossible to secure 'safe', toxic-free recycling.

(1) 'Guide to Greener Electronics' www.greenpeace.org/rankingguide

PVC explained: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a chlorinated plastic used in some electronic products and for insulation on wires and cables. PVC is one of the most widely used plastics but its production, use and disposal create toxic pollution. Chlorinated dioxins and furans are released when PVC is produced or disposed of by incineration (or simply burning). Dioxins and furans are classes of chemical compounds widely recognised as some of the most toxic chemicals ever made by humans and many are toxic even in very low concentrations.

BFRs explained: BFRs, used in circuit board and plastic casings, do not break down easily and build up in the environment. Long-term exposure can lead to impaired learning and memory functions. They also interfere with thyroid and oestrogen hormone systems. Exposure in the womb has been linked to behavioural problems. TBBPA, a type of BFR used in circuit boards has been linked to neurotoxicity.

The presence of high levels of BFRs in electronics products has the potential to generate brominated dioxins and furans, when the electronic waste comes to be smelted, incinerated or burnt in the open. Dioxins and furans are classes of chemical compounds widely recognised as some of the most toxic chemicals ever made by humans and many are toxic even in very low concentrations.

The electronics scorecard ranks companies on:
1. Chemicals policy and practice (5 criteria)
2. Policy and practice on taking back discarded electronic products (ewaste) and recycling (4 criteria).

On chemicals, the criteria are:
a. A chemicals policy based on the Precautionary Principle
b. Chemicals Management: supply chain management of chemicals via e.g. banned/restricted substance lists, policy to identify problematic substances for future elimination/substitution
c. Timeline for phasing out all use of vinyl plastic (PVC)
d. Timeline for phasing out all use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) - not just those banned by European Union's or Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS)
e. PVC-free and BFR-free models of electronic products on the market.

On EPR/recycling:
a. Support for individual (financial) producer responsibility - that producers finance the end-of-life management of their products, by taking back and reusing/recycling their own-brand discarded products.
b. Provides voluntary takeback and recycling in every country where it sells its products, even in the absence of national laws requiring Producer Responsibility for electronic waste.
c. Provides clear information for individual customers on takeback and recycling services in all countries where there are sales of its products.
d. Reports on amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collected and recycled

[From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

In the United States, we discard at least 250 million computers each year, along with millions of cell phones, televisions and other digital devices. (About half a million of these obsolete PCs come from Washington state.) The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that annually about 2 million tons of e-waste -- as this trash has come to be called -- end up in U.S. landfills. Only about 10 percent of our discarded electronics are recycled, and at least half of that is exported to developing countries -- including China, India and others in Africa and Southeast Asia -- for inexpensive, labor intensive, environmentally unsound and unhealthy recycling.

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[From The Roanoke Times]

While it's been possible for some time for residents to recycle electronic items at the Christiansburg landfill for a fee, most choose the convenience of throwing them in the trash.

But a new community partnership called Sustainable Blacksburg, with help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hopes to change that habit.

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[From HazMat Magazine]

From August 21st - 27th Computation is inviting the general public to drop-off their unwanted computer equipment for recycling. For larger quantities, organizations, businesses, and special requirements, contact Computation about their services.

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PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2006--Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh and Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) today introduced Reconnect Pittsburgh, a free drop-off program for recycling of unwanted computers by area residents.

The program helps protect the environment through the responsible recycling or reuse of computer equipment, and provides residents a convenient opportunity to support a local charity.

Reconnect Pittsburgh takes advantage of the existing donation and retail infrastructure of Goodwill and the recycling experience and resources of Dell to offer a proactive, community-based solution to environmentally responsible electronics disposal.

The goal of the program is to divert more than two million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from landfills over one year and to provide consumer education on the importance of proper computer disposal, while creating job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers throughout the Pittsburgh region.

"I want to thank Dell and Goodwill for initiating this new partnership," said Governor Ed Rendell. "This effort not only provides Pennsylvanians with more options to their electronics disposal problems, but also provides employment opportunities for people seeking to enter the work force. It is a win-win for Pennsylvania. I am proud to support this initiative, and I have every confidence it will be successful."

Goodwill will accept donated computer equipment from residents at each of its retail stores and donation centers in the Pittsburgh area. Goodwill will consolidate and sort equipment for shipment to a Dell product recovery partner for reuse or recycling. Equipment that meets minimum standards will be refurbished and resold and all proceeds will support its non-profit job training and community programs. Equipment that cannot be refurbished will be responsibly recycled.

Residents will be responsible for removing data from hard drives and other storage media before donating to Goodwill.

"We are thrilled to join Dell in the Reconnect project. This is an exciting and logical next step for Goodwill's electronic recycling initiatives. Many know Goodwill for having over 100 years of experience in recycling clothing and housewares. However, few know that Pittsburgh Goodwill has been recycling computers for ten years," said Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh's President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Smith. "Like Dell, we look forward to soaring to the next level of responsible e-recycling."

This program is part of Dell's efforts to provide consumers convenient, easy and free recycling. Dell recently announced a policy of recycling all Dell-branded products at no charge.

"Working with Pittsburgh's Goodwill highlights Dell's commitment to making computer recycling easy, convenient and free for consumers," said Shawn Dennis, vice president of global branding for Dell. "Reconnect makes computer recycling good for consumers, the environment and communities."

Other Goodwill-Dell programs are under way in Austin (15 counties in Central Texas), San Francisco (Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties), San Antonio (23 counties in Central and South Texas), San Diego County and throughout the state of Michigan.

Beginning today, area residents can visit www.reconnectpartnership.com to locate the most convenient drop-off location at any of the 33 local Goodwill donation stations and retail stores.

[From Red Herring]

E-waste companies say business is booming after California and European Union laws went into effect earlier this year.

Electronic Recyclers, an electronic recycling firm in Fresno, California, said Thursday that it became the first in the United States to surpass $1 million of electronic waste in one month.

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[From Anchorage Daily News]

For fees lower than those charged at the Anchorage landfill, Total Reclaim accepts a long list of common appliances from fluorescent lights to refrigerators to those dinosaurs of the computer world, CRT monitors.

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