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Recycle Ann Arbor

Cell Phones and Electronics Pose a Serious Threat

By Laura Biernat
January/February Issue, 2004

With the recent introduction into the U.S. market of “number portability,” regulations that allow people to take their cell phone numbers with them to new companies, consumers are expected in the near future to cast aside 100 million phones, weighing an estimated 50 tons, according to the environmental research group INFORM, Inc. The problem is that cell phones, like many other electronic products when disposed of improperly, release toxic chemicals and metals into the environment. Now is the time to focus our attention on what is being done to capture recyclable cell phones and other electronics before they hit the waste stream.

Today’s cell phones contain a variety of toxic substances, including a number of persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs) that can be released into the environment when the products are disposed of in landfills or by incineration. PBTs found in cell phones include lead, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc. Health effects associated with these chemicals include cancer and a range of reproductive, neurological, and development disorders.

Cell phones also contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that are added to reduce the flammability of the plastics. BFRs have also been associated with a host of health effects, including liver damage, neurological and immune system problems, thyroid dysfunction, and endocrine disruption. They are also persistent in the environment and are being found in elevated levels in Great Lakes fish and in women’s breast milk (see Toxic Fire Retardants Found in U.S. Women’s Breast Milk, From the Ground Up, Oct./Nov. 2003).

The most effective way to promote cell phone and other electronics recycling is to make the manufacturers responsible for their disposal. Both the European and Asian markets have successfully introduced directives requiring producers of cell phones and other electronics to reuse and recycle at least 65% of their products. By doing this, manufacturers have a strong financial incentive to design products that are less wasteful, easier to disassemble, recycle and reuse, and that contain fewer toxic components.

Some electronics makers have tried implementing voluntary take-back programs but without much success. Most of these programs are not free to consumers, discouraging participation. An effective take-back program needs accountability worked into it through reporting requirements and enforcement mechanisms. Another effective tactic being considered involves financial incentives such as deposits or refunds that would further encourage consumers to take back and recycle cell phones and other electronics. Manufacturers should also factor “end-of-life” concerns into their devices, designing them to make reuse and recycling of their components simpler and more cost effective.

If disposable cell phones enter the marketplace, the amount of discarded cell phone waste in landfills will increase significantly unless plans to reuse and recycle them are implemented. An alternative to disposable phones is short-term phone rentals, particularly for international usage, but high prices currently make this option unappealing to consumers.

Although there is no federal legislation regarding end-of-life electronics pending in the U.S. at the moment, the Michigan legislature has taken some steps to address the issue. In November, the Michigan House of Representatives passed HB 4296, which would ban the landfill disposal of products containing a cathode ray tube. The Michigan Senate has also introduced a bill that bans consumer electronics from landfills. Introduced in February 2003, Senate Bill No. 147 seeks to eliminate the disposal of a wide range of consumer electronics into landfills, including cell phones. If made into law, it would require that all state-owned consumer electronics be recycled, and that a study be conducted to determine the potential for establishing a statewide recycling program. Since March 2003, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has convened an ‘Electronic Waste Stakeholders Work Group’ to develop a comprehensive program for dealing with electronic waste. Ecology Center Director Mike Garfield is representing state environmental organizations on the work group.

Recycle Ann Arbor has stepped up to take a leadership role in encouraging cell phone and electronics recycling efforts in Washtenaw County. Well aware of the environmental hazards of allowing cell phones and other consumer electronics to end up in landfills, RAA has been accepting and recycling these products from the general public and local businesses since April 2001. To date, RAA has recycled over 406 tons of electronics through its Drop-Off Station (2950 E. Ellsworth Rd.) and Business Recycling program (734-662-6288). This number should reach over a million pounds by spring 2004.

RAA is also playing a pivotal role in Michigan’s 2003 America Recycles Day Cellphone Recycling Event by serving as the main shipping point for all cell phones collected throughout the state.

To learn more about consumer electronics take-back initiatives, visit www.computertakeback.org. To learn more about Recycle Ann Arbor, go to www.recycleannarbor.org.

Laura Biernat is Marketing Coordinator for Recycle Ann Arbor,
a non-profit subsidiary of the Ecology Center.

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