Dealing with Old Computers

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Is disposing of your used desktop computer as simple as having someone come and take it off of your desk? Only if you think the world of municipal waste management is as simple as a flush of your toilet.
RISMEDIA, July 9 – Is disposing of your used desktop computer as simple as having someone come and take it off of your desk? Only if you think the world of municipal waste management is as simple as a flush of your toilet. That stack of old motherboards, CPU units, monitors and used laptops pose more risk and problems for your company than just taking up precious office space. There are far more environmental dangers, financial burdens and regulatory compliance risks associated with the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment than you might realize.

“Chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, PCBs, halogenated fire retardants, asbestos and beryllium are regularly used in the manufacture of computers and other electronic equipment. The management and disposal of these substances pose real health, environmental and regulatory compliance risks,” says Steven Rowe, a land use and environment attorney with Preston Gates & Ellis LLP. “As early as 1986, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study estimated that 24 percent of lead in the municipal waste stream is from consumer electronics.”

Add to that fact the sheer volume of waste caused by obsolete technology. A recent Carnegie Mellon University study estimates the space required to handle the waste generated from both the direct disposal and leftovers from recycled computers for just the year 2005 will require approximately 170 million cubic feet of space. This translates to roughly one acre piled 4000 feet high.

Given such numbers, Rowe says that companies that fail to comply with state and federal environmental laws, including those put forth the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, may be at risk of heavy fines or costly litigation.

Moreover, new consumer privacy laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Health Insurance Portability Act, both of which went into effect in the first half of 2001, require companies holding financial or medical data on employees or customers must guarantee that data will not be shared without the express permission of the employee or customer. As a result, proper data security measures must be taken into consideration when electronic assets are replaced or upgraded.

“The worst choice one can make in dealing with the mountain of electronic garbage is to merely wait,” says Rowe. “Strangely enough, this is the choice being made by most of us. Almost 80 percent of the nearly 15 million computers retired last year are ?in storage,? taking up vital space and rapidly losing any value.”

Given the legal and economic ramifications of obsolete technology, Rowe believes it is vital that companies develop a comprehensive plan on how and when to dispose of electronic equipment. Promptly addressing the issue will assure compliance with environmental standards, security requirements, and may create opportunities that benefit a company’s bottom line.

Steven Rowe is a partner in the land use and environmental practice group at Preston Gates & Ellis LLP in Seattle. He can be reached at srowe@prestongates.com.

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Monday, March 22, 2010