Clean Water Action has joined with several national organizations as part of the Computer Take Back Campaign to address the growing electronic waste problem. Check out the new campaign website: ComputerTakeBack.com

Poison PCs

The electronics revolution is about to hit the landfill, and it isn't going to be pretty. Tens of millions of computers alone become obsolete every year and less than 10% are collected for recycling. It is estimated that the number of obsolete computers in the U.S. will soon be between 300 million and 600 million units. Discarded computers are hazardous waste and pose significant threats to human health.

Discarded electronics (“e-waste”) is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the industrialized world. Electronic equipment is also one of the largest know sources of heavy metals, like lead and mercury, and toxic pollutants in the waste stream. Without effective phase-outs of hazardous chemicals and the development of an equitable and effective collection and recycling system, our public health is threatened.

Currently, the expense of collecting and managing discarded electronics is largely paid for by taxpayers. Public policy and corporate practice have failed to promote producer take back and clean design.

Our electronic waste has created another problem--an alarming amount of American e-waste destined for “recycling” actually becomes global toxic trade! As documented in the report and video, “Exporting Harm,” (www.ban.org) many electronics turned in by U.S. consumers for recycling are actually shipped to China and other Asian nations for dismantling under horrific conditions, contaminating the air and water.

Target: Dell Computer Corporation

Consumers can influence corporate practices and public policy by targeting market share leaders like Dell Computer Corporation. Dell Computer now offers a limited program for consumers to mail back used equipment at additional cost to the consumers. Dell's program, at www.dellexchange.com, was announced by the company in May and commenced in September, but has received little attention in Dell's otherwise aggressive marketing and ad campaigns. A similar mail back program operated by IBM collected fewer than 1,000 machines in the first two years; consumers don't want to pay extra when their computer is obsolete. Although Dell mentions this new program on its website, the press release fails to mention that their main partner for this new program is Federal Prison Industries, also known as UNICOR. Prison labor undercuts the economic development of a viable recycling infrastructure. Additionally, prison laborers are not protected by occupational health and safety laws and could be exposed to a number of hazardous materials found in computers without adequate safety precautions.

Founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, Austin, TX-based Dell Computer Corporation is a $32 billion a year company controlling the largest share of the global personal computer market and is the leading seller of computers to government agencies and educational institutions. CEO Michael Dell is consistently first or second on the list of highest paid corporate executives.

Though Dell is a profit and sales leader, it consistently ranks as an environmental laggard. Dell's exceptional performance as a business should be matched by environmental leadership within the personal computer and consumer electronics industry. While Dell has taken some steps to reduce its use of toxic and hazardous materials, Dell must be an industry leader and take responsibility for the life-cycle impacts of their products, including take back and end-of-life management. When producers are responsible for their waste, it creates a market incentive for them to design products that are durable, less toxic, and easier to recycle.

Campaign For Change

Consumers play a key role in pressuring Dell Computer to lead its industry to solve the e-waste crisis. Today's generations understand the importance of recycling AND the prominence of personal computers in our lives. Consumers have the power to merge the two interests into a compelling message of corporate accountability for the 21st Century:

Take it back!

• Design and implement a Producer Take Back program for all consumers that is convenient and easy to follow. This program must be consistent with similar programs required in Europe and include a timeline for reaching specified goals for collection and recycling rates.
• Include the costs and savings of the Take Back program into the product price – shifting the end-of-life cost off of the taxpayer to the producer will create a market incentive to design products that are durable, less toxic and recyclable, resulting in long- term savings.

Make it clean!

• Phase out the use of hazardous materials in computer equipment and
  electronics, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and flame retardants, at a minimum consistent with the European requirements

Recycle responsibly:

• Keep electronic waste out of landfills and incinerators
• Ban the export of hazardous wastes including discarded electronics
• Maintain fair living wages and safe working conditions for their workers
• Share details of the company's equipment recycling programs with shareholders and an external advisory committee that discloses the recovery and handling of products.

It's Time to Reboot the System!

The Computer TakeBack Campaign has everything you need to bring this issue to your community – petitions and postcards, fact sheets and reports, sample media materials, local government resolutions, model legislation, strategies for improving government computer purchasing, and more.

Sign a postcard or petition to Dell Computer urging them to take leadership for an e-waste solution; Contact your elected officials and tell them to support producer take back for discarded electronics; If you make IT purchases for a company, agency or institution, demand take back provisions in sales contracts; If you own stock in Dell or other companies, support resolutions filed by socially responsible investment firms.

Students Take Action

Clean Water Action is also organizing students on college campuses throughout New England to join in the Campaign against Dell Computer Corporation. The Computer TakeBack Campaign can help you bring this issue to your campus. Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Collect signatures on the Campaign's petitions and postcards to Dell Computer
• Does your school buy Dells? Does Dell take back the old computers? Find out, let us know
• Work with your administration and Information Technology division to make sure your school's purchasing contracts require take back and safe recycling of all used computers

Also check out our campus campaign website: www.ToxicDude.org and sign a petition to Dell to Take it Back, Make it Clean, and Recycle Responsibly. You can also sign up to be a Campus Chapter Leader at your school by sending an email to campus@toxicdude.com

Other participating organizations in the Computer Take Back Campaign include:
GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN), Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), As You Sow Foundation, Californians Against Waste, Clean Production Network, Communication Workers of America, ecopledge.com, Institute for Self Reliance, Materials for the Future Foundation, Mercury Policy Project, Texas Campaign for the Environment.