From E-Recycling to Risk Management: An Interview with E-Waste Business Leaders

Q: What is E-waste and what is being done about it?

GEEP: E-waste stands for electronic waste, which is essentially any piece of equipment that has a circuit board inside. With e-recycling there are thousands of different types of materials, however they tend to only be classified into three items. One is the glass from monitors and televisions. The second is generally copper-bearing material, which would include photocopiers, printers, and fax machines. The third is typically sorted into precious-metal-bearing material, which would include laptop computers, cell phones, and so on. These categories play an important role in the recycling aspect of e-waste. Electronics that are manufactured with a wide variety of materials will be more challenging to recycle, especially where materials are fused together. When IBM came out with the first computer, all the contacts were solid gold for corrosion protection. Today all the contacts are only plated gold, with plating so thin that highly specialized equipment would be required to separate this material from other non-precious materials.

In Europe many countries tried to pass individual legislation, which was meaningless because as one country did a lot, another did very little. The answer came when the European directive made it law, which took a long time to put together. As a result of this legislation, EU member countries can no longer landfill and or export e-waste. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are the ones who actually have to pay the recycling fee in Europe according to the amount of units they sell in each country as new products.

In Canada, there is legislation on a provincial level. So that means each province in Canada will have its own legislation and monitoring. The same is also true within the United States. Across Canada, all the different provinces have different stewardship programs in place at this time.

Q: Once you receive equipment from an organization how do you ensure that the data is destroyed?

NCL: We have a policy of having every single hard drive completely wiped to the US Department of Defense (DOD) specifications which is a minimum of three times, but more often we overwrite the data seven times.

For clients that want more than that we can either demagnetize and then destroy, right off the bat, or actually physically destroy the hard drives themselves. This is a shredding process that is then refined through melting, and then the metals themselves are re-used in various product.

Q: How does e-waste play a part in the sustainable enterprise?

GEEP: In addition to e-waste collection, there are a number of business-to-business e-waste service providers. These businesses, like GEEP, are able to design and help implement take-back programs, setup tracking systems, optimize inventory control, and facilitate commodity recovery.

Downstream audits are also available to companies that want to know where their material ends up. If a company's e-waste strategy involves loading a container and sending it to China, they are not a recycler, but simply an e-waste exporter.

Q: What areas of the world are leading the way with e-waste initiatives?

GEEP: Europe, only because it is legislated. The United States is in the process. I hear rumors there are about twenty states with legislation on the table. California is already implementing e-waste restrictions, as are Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, and a few other northwestern states. Canada will be legislated from coast to coast by the end of 2008, but implemented by 2009. Alberta is the leader already and has been in operation for a year-and-a-half or so.

NCL: I would say Vancouver, BC and here in New York City.  Mayor Bloomberg, is certainly attempting to do what he can, especially in this area, with pricing, but also he is trying to pass some recycling bills through the City Council and into the City Government that would require pretty much all people, businesses and personal, to have equipment recycled. Certainly there is nobody else that I know of in the immediate North East that's doing anything big that I am aware of.

However, we deal with a lot of companies in Europe and they are already way ahead of the United States in this area. European countries already have policies in place that state that electronics have to be recycled, however, that is just it for the EU. Why we are not doing that here is hard for me to say. We are doing our part, the best we can but we can't take care of the whole United States.

Q: How important is it for companies to respond to the challenge of managing e-waste?

GEEP: I think going green is not only a good thing, but I believe it's a must. As far as I'm concerned, redirecting hazardous material from landfills is a no-brainer, in part because it becomes a liability issue. A piece of equipment containing hazardous material is a terrible thing when displaying a company's brand name while scattered alongside a bank leaching into the river. Every CEO should have an interest that their product never ends up in a place where it shouldn't. The best way to control this is by implementing a take-back program to collect all the electronic waste that can then be recycled or reused in future products. Keep in mind, mining copper or gold is ten times more expensive than mining copper or gold out of electronic waste.

Q: Who should take the lead; private companies or government?

NCL: I think it really requires a partnership between the private the public sector. I think that the government should take the lead in setting the tone for what people should do in the private sector as a start to help deal with the problem. If the government isn't involved I don't think that the private sector is going to get involved. It's not going to get done in the whole United States, or North America, or in a continental type of way if the governments themselves aren't involved too. I think the private sector is much more nimble and able to deal with problems quickly, and that's why I think it has to be both.

*Footnotes