zerowaste

   

 

Last night 60 Minutes (a CBS News investigative reporting segment) aired a piece titled “The Electronic Wasteland”.  The segment covered the devastating effects of illegal disposal of electronics overseas and illustrated the complicated dynamic of our industry.  What was at the heart of this piece was best practices for the processing of these devices, specifically the characteristically hazardous components (Printed Circuit Boards and Leaded Glass).  The environmental cost was clear in its illustration of improper disposal, but wasn't as clear was the real cost economically and why this is happening in the first place.

 

For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to see it last night you can by clicking on the link below:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4586903n

 

In 2003 California passed landmark legislation (SB20) and subsequently SB50 legislation to prevent the disposal of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) in our local landfills.  Its passing came after the Department of Toxic Substance Control recognized the potential threat that the lead in these devices has to our groundwater and ultimately the health of Californians.  The DTSC also realized that if they were going to impart a landfill ban for these electronics they would need to provide funding because the value of the residual commodities would not cover the cost of proper disposal.  Thus, the Advance Recovery Program, whereby consumers pay a fee at the point of purchase (of a new CRT or FPD device) which is used to provide a FREE recycling solution at the end of life and reimburse state authorized recyclers the cost to properly recycle televisions and computer monitors.  The most important message here is that there is a steep cost for doing the right thing. 

At the same time California was passing its take back program for electronics the scrap market entered an all time high and continued to climb to record highs, thus spawning interest from some of the most unlikely and unintended entities taking interest in recovering electronics as a revenue opportunity.  The GREED around being GREEN took over and collectors of e-waste began to hold material hostage from recyclers for ransoms far beyond what the material was worth.  The cost?  Material was shipped intact to non-developed nations where they were dismantled with cheap labor and less then desirable methods in order to increase margins and profitability, and at the expense of the environment and the health of its final destination.

 

While the DTSC regulates and enforces the California program and its covered devices (CRTs and FPDs) to encourage diversion from our local landfills, the Basil Action Network, the Non-Governmental Organization featured in the 60 minutes piece, promotes the export of these materials and others (like PCBs) to under developed nations, and for a good reason (just watch the 60 minutes piece).  The intent of the BAN and its Pledge of True Stewardship is admirable; to use it as a barometer for finding a reputable outlet for electronics can be misleading.  Note that the BAN has not audited any of the recyclers who have currently signed the pledge, so while they are implementing a trial audit program, to date not one of the “stewards” could be validated by the BAN.  This means that it is quite plausible that some of these organizations are over stating their capabilities.  Additionally, the pledge does not account for real economies of scale and include immeasurable and impractical methods. These are reasons that ASL Recycling has not subscribed to its pledge for our best practices, instead we have adopted its measurable and practical components and paired it with California Regulatory measures and our client's expectations and needs. 

ASL Recycling is hoping that this coverage and exposure of the ultimate cause of improper, unregulated disposal will help elevate the importance of best practices and the cost, environmentally and financially, that we will pay.  ASL Recycling is committed to fostering best practices and has tirelessly tried to penetrate the marketplace with that philosophy, namely with the GREENetwork.  We believe in preventing the disposal of electronics and other hazardous materials in our local landfills as well as those abroad and we try to incorporate that philosophy in all of our products and services—it has been a stake in our brand.

ASL Recycling has a complete destruction process which means that we are mechanically dismantling the entire e-waste stream down to commodity streams (dark and light plastic, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, low and high grade printed circuit boards, leaded glass, etc.) WE DO NOT RESELL OR SHIP ANYTHING INTACT.  This is important because most of what ends up in landfills in non-developed nations is sent over for “reuse”, which is legal, but unfortunately, is not getting reused.  Its fate is clearly illustrated in the 60 minutes piece. 

Additionally, the material categories that we generate have no outlet except for reputable smelters.  With regards to the HAZARDOUS WASTES (leaded glass and printed circuit boards) we use the world’s most reputable outlets.  We send our glass to SAMSUNG/CORNING and they smelt the cullet down into more leaded glass and then manufacture new CRT tubes.  We send out printed circuit boards to XSTRADA (a precious metal recovery plant here in Canada). 

 

ASL Recycling has audited all of these facilities and their processes.

All of the other categories of waste (which are not characteristically hazardous or regulated) are sent to smelters or third party recyclers who specialize in those specific streams of waste (see complete downstream below).

 

We hope that more organizations that are generating or collecting electronic waste will start taking a keen interest in understanding the global impact of e-waste and become knowledgeable advocates and representatives for their respective organizations.  We also hope that this will motivate them to take an active role in auditing their processing partners and consider that even though there is a substantial cost financially in properly processing these devices, the cost to our environment could be greater if they don’t.

 

We invite and encourage our clients to come see our process and become passionate about all that goes into diverting electronics from our local landfills.

E-waste can help schools and non-profits!

What if I told you that you could help save the planet and, at the same time, help non-profit organizations save their programs? What if I told you that you could really turn your trash into someone else's treasure? What if you knew that spending 15 minutes on a Saturday could help divert hundreds of tons of harmful material from going into our local landfills and help your child's school raise thousands of dollars?

Three years ago, ASL Recycling created a collection event program designed for schools and other non-profit organizations, with three goals:

1. To help make e-waste recycling more convenient for California residents;

2. To help further the cause of diverting electronics from local landfalls;

3. To support the great work of these organizations with fund raising.

Today, our program has hosted hundreds of events with local schools throughout the entire state, has diverted hundreds of tons of harmful material from local landfills, and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for our local schools and non-profits.

This partnership program allows us to do all the heavy lifting, literally, while making it easy and turn-key for event participants and our non-profit partners. ASL Recycling helps find a functional site for the event; we provide marketing support and materials; we act as the authorized handler, collector, and recycler; and we provide all the labor, transportation, and recycling of the material. And when we are done with that we give our partners money to support their efforts — whether it is for buying new text books, buying new uniforms for their soccer team, running their after-school program, or helping to cover operating costs.

Every weekend, rain or shine, we are out in our local communities providing a free way for residents to recycle their unwanted or obsolete electronics and donate money to local non-profit organizations. You can find us as north as Sacramento and as far south as San Diego at www.ewastedropoff.com or www.aslrecycling.com.
 
 
Here is a list of the most common materials we accept.  You can watch a short video the features collection events here.
 
Televisions (CRTs/LCDs)
Computer monitors
Computers (CPUs)
Laptops
Keyboards
Printers
Mice
Hard drives
Fax machines
Microwave ovens
DVD players
Cable and cords
Telephones
Cell phones
Radios
Stereo components
Power supplies
Tape and ZIP drives
PC boards
Lab equipment
Optical drives
and more….

Networking for a greener environment

Since the inception of the GREENetwork eight months ago we’ve developed the most extensive infrastructure of e-waste drop-off locations in California. In Northern California alone we’ve established 100 GREENspots. Already, more than 90 percent of all households are within five miles or less of a free and ecologically sound e-waste recycling center. We‘ve worked diligently with our GREENspot hosts to divert over 10 million pounds of e-waste from local landfills.

And the GREENetwork is continuing to grow. This month we launched the Southern California network with 33 GREENspots that serve 72 percent of all households within 10 miles of their homes. We’ll reduce that distance to five miles as we grow, providing a consistent level of convenience across the state.

From the beginning, our vision was to provide a viable, free and convenient infrastructure for consumers and businesses to recycle their e-waste. We have worked to educate the public with consistent messaging about what e-waste is and what to do with it. And we have collaborated with retailers, manufacturers, approved collectors, cities and municipalities to divert harmful materials from our local landfills.

Several of our GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations have had tremendous success by being part of the GREENetwork. Here’s what two of them have to say:

"Our association with ASL Recycling and membership in the GREENetwork enables us to make a difference in our local community while keeping dangerous materials out of local landfills. We are now an even more convenient destination for the environmentally conscious consumer and business owner since we now offer both e-waste recycling as well as moving and storage services. And, we’ve been able to use the proceeds from the program to fund a scholarship program for students and to sponsor Special Olympics athletes."
--Bob Fraser, owner, Redwood Moving and Storage, California Moving and Storage Association

"I wanted to let you know that the GREENetwork program has helped us see an increase in the amount of calls for e-waste donation pickups and e-waste drop offs at our four thrift stores in San Mateo county. Almost weekly, I receive calls from people who said they found our contact information on the GREENetwork website. Had it not been for that site they would not have known we accept e-waste."
--Oscar Perez, stores operations manager at St. Vincent de Paul

We are working hard to collaborate with other industry organizations to make this program available to more people, make it more flexible and accessible, and provide more opportunities for people to do the right thing with their unwanted and obsolete electronics.

ASL Recycling and the GREENetwork hope to continue the effort across the nation to make e-waste recycling more convenient and free for businesses and consumers, and to help keep more harmful materials out of our nation’s landfills.

Get what you paid for!

Recently, the California Integrated Waste Management Board moved to address fund solvency in the SB20/SB50 legislation that is designed to provide a FREE and CONVENIENT solution for end-of-life recycling of televisions and computer monitors used in California.

The "pay as you go" program set up in 2003 was designed to collect an Advance Recovery Fee from consumers at the point of purchase in the amount of $6, $8, or $10 (depending on the size of the monitor) and use it to cover the costs of FREE and proper disposal at the end of the TV's life.

After a required review of the program, the CIWMB staff realized that it was collecting, on average, $8 per unit at the point of sale and then paying recyclers, on average, $22 per unit to recycle the unit. To maintain the solvency of the fund, starting January 1, 2009 consumers will pay $8, $16, and $25 with the hopes that the average per-unit income to the fund will be $15.

My strongest advice to consumers who are purchasing new televisions or computer monitors in 2009 (or even today at the old, lower rate) is get what you paid for. The $8, $16, or whopping $25 you might pay at the point of purchase is designed to make sure that you can dispose of that monitor for FREE when you are done with it. Not only are there are lot of places you can take your e-waste for free, there are several that will make sure that it gets disposed of properly and that (in the case of computers and hard disks) that all of your data is securely destroyed.

Our GREENetwork now has 100 free drop-off locations (GREENspots) in Northern California — 95% of all households don't have to drive more than 10 miles to find their local GREENspot. All the material you drop off at a GREENspot will be sent to ASL Recycling, where it will be completely dismantled, all hard drives will be crushed and destroyed, and all materials will be sent to sound downstream sources.

To find your GREENspot go to www.aslgreenspot.com.