Module 5 Unit 2

As much as we love gadgets, a lot of us don’t know nearly enough about how to dispose of them properly (in an environment-friendly manner). What makes high tech trash such a problem is that each piece of equipment contains numerous toxic and hazardous materials: heavy metals - including lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury - and many synthetic chemicals that are persistent pollutants that linger in the atmosphere for years and accumulate in animals and people where they cause serious health problems. These toxics are released when equipment is damaged, destroyed or improperly disposed of - and that's what happens to a huge amount of our old electronics.

Some used electronic materials can be recycled or reused instead of landfilled. There are four main types of electronic recyclers, and some recyclers perform multiple functions as collectors, refurbishers, demanufacturers and processors.

Collectors accept electronics from businesses and the general public. Collected material is then shipped to a refurbisher, demanufacturer or processor. There are two main types of collectors. The first is affiliated with a permanent drop-off site, and the second one operates from a temporary location set up for a special collection event.

Refurbishers include non- and for-profit organizations that accept, sort and refurbish used computer equipment. Reparable products are either resold or donated after they are restored to working condition; nonreparable components are sent to a demanufacturer or processor.

Demanufacturers accept used computer equipment and broken-down computer components. Parts are then further broken down into pieces such as plastic housings, wires, metals and circuit boards. Demanufacturers then send these parts to smelters or processors that have the equipment and facilities to process these components.

Processors accept demanufactured electronic components and break them down to their raw materials. Processing may also include resource recovery procedures such as precious metal separation, lead smelting and waste-to-energy incineration. Processing is the last stage of recycling before final disposition.

The biggest economic incentive behind electronics recycling is the recovery of metals - including precious metals, silver, gold and even platinum. Metals make up over half of the weight in many computers, particularly the older ones now being discarded. These computers also contain quite a lot of copper which is in great demand right now, and commands high prices. It was mining companies who first got into electronic recycling business because they figured out it was a lot more profitable and predictable - to 'mine' old circuit boards than it would be to prospect for the same amount of ore and metal in new mines. A pile of old circuit boards has a greater concentration of gold, for example, than does the equivalent amount of ore. But current recycling rates mean that we're simply throwing away about 90 percent of the billions of pounds of copper and millions of pounds of gold that are in our obsolete computer equipment – copper and gold that is essentially 100% reusable. So there is a lot of money to be made in selling used computer equipment, particularly for its scrap metal value, which recently has been quite high.

(Adapted from the Internet sites)