Don’t toss your old gadgets

How often have you bought a portable electronic device only to find that within weeks there’s a better one available? Thanks to the intense competition for customers, the shelf life of new laptops, smartphones and tablets has dropped to three months according to a recent Digitimes study.

Their useable lifespan runs about five years. That’s when most fail and add to the 50-million metric tons of e-waste produced each year.

Consumer demand for palm-sized computing gadgets isn’t slowing. Gartner Group estimates sales of about 2.6 billion smartphones, tablets and similar products this year, and the number edges up every year. The average home holds 24 such devices, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Small and compact gadgets pose a disassembly problem for recyclers. “Portable electronic products today are welded shut, have fewer screws and are harder to repair,” said Bill Peterson, general manager of IMS Electronics Recycling. “Because they’re hand-sized, they have smaller amounts of materials to recycle.”

Sending your old tablet or smartphone to the landfill is dangerous though. At the dump, the case cracks open and eventually the innards break down, leaking toxic chemicals. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc, seep into our soil and water. If the device is burned, these chemicals go directly into the air. Many of the chemicals released into the air and water can collect in the body causing skin irritation, cognitive damage, lung problems and even cancer.

So what can we do to stop this mountain of e-waste from growing?

“If your portable gadget works, use it longer,” advises Peterson. “If not, then recycle it responsibly.”

Caring for a smartphone, tablet or laptop properly can make it last longer. If someone can fix yours, repair it. If it works, donate it for reuse. If you must replace one, consider a refurbished product when possible. When yours finally dies, remember it’s not junk — it’s valuable.

“IMS recycles anything powered by a plug or a battery,” said Peterson. “That includes everything from keyboards to kids’ toys, except large appliances.” Other local recyclers include Empower Up and Earth Friendly Recycling.

Gold, silver and copper can be reclaimed. One metric ton of circuit boards holds more concentrated gold and copper than a ton dug out of the ground. According to the EPA, it contains between 40 to 800 times more gold and 30 to 40 times more copper. That’s an incentive to recycle and reclaim these precious metals, and lessen mining pressure on our natural environment.

Because of the value of precious metals, now more companies welcome many computer products for recycling. Some manufacturers, such as Apple and Dell, sponsor “take back” programs. They will take back old computers and either refurbish them for reuse or recycle the parts.

Staples and Office Depot offer technology trade-in programs. Sprint has a goal to reuse or recycle 90 percent of the phones it sells by 2017. Best Buy will recycle nearly all large appliances and computing equipment, some it will even pick up.

When you pick a recycler, select one concerned for the environment to make sure those toxins aren’t leaked into the ground or released into the atmosphere. “IMS is an R2 certified e-waste processor,” said Peterson. R2 (responsible recycling practices) means a recycler and its downstream recovery network are audited to assure they meet legal, environmental and ethical standards.

To learn more, visit www.clark.wa.gov/recycle/recyclingA-Z.html.

Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.