What to do about e-waste

When your computer gets old and you get a new one, chances are you probably never think about where the old one gets dumped. But the issue of old computers and what to do about them is rapidly becoming an environmental debate. Until now, many old systems were just sent to other countries as waste if they could not be recycled. Now Congress is looking to limit exporting old computers overseas.

The problem is growing bigger, according to John Stephenson, a GAO official who testified September 17 before Congress on the issue. He said the EPA's e-waste regulations cover only old cathode ray tube televisions and monitors. And EPA rules on discarding old computers are poorly enforced. There are rules in 17 states banning the use of landfills for computers that contain hazardous material.

"The U.S. fails to hold manufacturers responsible for the end-of-life management of their products that contain toxic materials," said Rep. Diane Watson, D-CA. There is no easy answer, according to Stephenson. "No one knows what to do with these," he said. "I have three used computers in my basement and now I'm afraid to give them to a recycler."

As the tech executive at your company, are you perplexed, too? Do you have a dozen old computers in your storeroom with nowhere to go? Send us your ideas for how to effectively recycle or throw them away without making toxic waste even a bigger hazard.

For more on the problems of discarding old computers:
- see this cnet.com article