Where Do All the Old Models Go? State and Federal Governments, along with Industry, Are Trying to Manage the Flood of Electronic Waste

Spielvogel, Tamra, State Legislatures

As the digital future becomes more and more a reality it leaves in its wake the old, the obsolete and the orphaned.

With each new generation of computers, phones, televisions and other electronic equipment, the question of what to do with the old models becomes more pressing. The rapid advancements in technology that lead to new and ever-changing electronic devices make the effective management of the quickly outdated products more critical.

The amount of electronic or e-waste present in the national waste stream continues to grow rapidly. The reduce-reuse-recycle model that worked with solid waste--reducing the amount of waste generated and reusing or recycling the products created--is important to effective management of e-waste. However, in 2000, while 2,124,400 tons of electronic waste was generated in the United States only 193,700 tons, or about 9 percent, was recovered for reuse or recycling.

TOXIC TRASH

One particular problem for states and localities in managing the flow of electronic waste is the huge amount that goes into landfills. It results in two main problems: volume and toxicity. The sheer …

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Publication information: Article title: Where Do All the Old Models Go? State and Federal Governments, along with Industry, Are Trying to Manage the Flood of Electronic Waste. Contributors: Spielvogel, Tamra - Author. Magazine title: State Legislatures. Volume: 31. Issue: 6 Publication date: June 2005. Page number: 18+. © 2009 National Conference of State Legislatures. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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