There’s value in recycled e-waste

At St. Andrew’s Schools across from the state Capitol, many old computers, monitors, projectors and printers are stored in the Technology Department taking up valuable space. The old equipment was once used by students and teachers years ago but now collect dust. This situation is far from unique. Throughout our state, schools and individuals struggle to deal with electronic waste (e-waste).

In 2006, e-waste was banned from disposal in Honolulu. Two years later, the Hawaii State Legislature passed the Electronic Waste and Television Recycling and Recovery Act, which requires manufacturers of televisions, computers, computer monitors and laptops to provide recycling options for their consumers. Unfortunately, laws have done little to stop the quietly growing epidemic of e-waste in Hawaii and across the globe.

In 2012, the United Nations conservatively estimated the e-waste produced that year was enough to fill the Empire State building 100 times, and the number of cellular phones on the planet was one-third greater than the number of toilets in the world. Since then, the use of technology in developing nations has soared and the amount of e-waste has grown with it.

Disposing of e-waste improperly is harmful for the environment. Burning e-waste without proper environmental protocols emits numerous hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. Burying and dumping e-waste results in substances such as mercury and lead seeping into the ground, contaminating surface and groundwater. Workers who handle e-waste at illegal disposal sites are also subject to unsafe and hazardous conditions.

Recycling e-waste responsibly has economic benefits that go along with its environmental benefits. Phones, computers and other electronics each contain tiny amounts of precious metals. The UN estimated that the value of global e-waste in 2014 was about $35 billion. In 2015, Achim Steiner, the UN environment chief, called our e-waste problem, “economic stupidity because we are throwing away an enormous amount of raw materials that are essentially re-usable.”

As technology advances and manufacturers continue to design products meant to last less than two years, the e-waste epidemic will worsen if nothing is done.

In Hawaii, the law that requires Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to provide recycling options for e-waste has potential to do good for the community. Unfortunately, the programs offered by OEMs are under-utilized since many consumers are unaware of the need to dispose of e-waste properly and their recycling options.

We can solve our problem of e-waste through heightened awareness. Taking steps to responsibly dispose of e-waste can do good for the environment and community. Goodwill, for example, has a robust e-waste recycling program available for the public. Other community groups hold monthly e-waste drives for community members to drop off old and unused electronics.

Today, it is estimated that only 12.5 percent of e-waste is recycled. Though e-waste makes up only two percent of our nation’s landfills, it is responsible for seventy percent of the toxic waste in those landfills.

Ending our e-waste problem is simple. We must first realize that we have a problem or else our efforts will merely be a waste.

Carl Chang is a Punahou School student, Class of 2018; Olivia Stoetzer is at St. Andrew’s Priory, Class of 2019; Dorien James Dacoco is at Farrington High School, Class of 2018.

“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders.