Appliance Design - February 2008 - (Page 5) EDIToRIAL ® www.applianceDESIGN.com publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 ddelano@adelphia.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (734) 354-1874 britcherm@bnpmedia.com circulation Christine Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Group Audience schulera@bnpmedia.com Development Manager Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. 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For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, he first OLED television. A digital photo frame that plays video and music. A diving mask with a built-in waterproof digital camera. A voice-operated GPS system. A stun-gun whose holster contains an MP3 player. These were just a sampling of novelties on display at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. As in the past, the show unleashed a blizzard of new products that will fill the consumer electronics pipeline for the coming year. That’s the bright side of the story: inventive manufacturers delivering innovations that consumers seem to want. The dark version contains the lingering and troubling question as to where it all ends up, often referred to as the e-waste issue. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, of the more than 2 million tons of electronic waste that is generated each year, as little as 12.5 percent is being recycled and the rest is being disposed of, mostly in landfills. That’s an environmental problem because of the toxic materials they contain: lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, and more. CRT-type computer monitors and televisions contain an average of 4 lbs. of lead each. The other side to the problem is the missed opportunity to recover precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, and palladium. For example, the EPA estimates that the recycling of 100 million cell phones would recover 3.4 metric tons of gold, which would eliminate the mining and processing of 5.5 million tons of soil, sand, and rock. The problem in general will get worse as the frantic pace of innovation pulls along product obsolescence at a similar pace, speeding the turnover time from purchase to discard. More specifically, the 2009 shutdown of analog television signals will trigger an avalanche of unwanted analog televisions. Fortunately, many players share these concerns and are exploring possible solutions. Just last month, Panasonic, Toshiba, and Sharp established an electronics recycling management company to help manage state recycling programs in the U.S. Currently, there are eight states with such programs. Various municipalities are also getting into the act. Corporations are joining T Enormous E-waste the effort, too. In August, Sony launched a recycling program with Waste Management to take back its products. And, last month, a coalition of leading cell phone makers, service providers, and national retailers, teamed up with the EPA to simplify cell phone recycling. Other organizations have sprung up to redirect used computers to schools and charities. These are all positive developments, and all insufficient, as well. It’s a patchwork system that is just too darn fussy. The programs are often too specific regarding brands, products, locations, or even times, to provide a comprehensive solution. For example, in my community, the non-profits aren’t interested in old computers that don’t have the latest processor, and the city will accept them at its garage only one day a year for only a threehour period, the annual computer roundup. This hodge-podge approach to recycling just won’t cut it in the long run. The product-specific approach fails to recognize that electronics are being embedded in nearly everything these days, including small appliances, tools, boots, apparel, cooking utensils, even musical greeting cards. These scattershot methods also fail to recognize that consumers are not going to spend hours of research to figure out how to discard something they don’t want. History has shown that, when recycling is made too difficult, it doesn’t happen. Small things end up in the black trash bag; big things end up in the park. The CEA has called for a national solution for electronics recycling to replace the current patchwork of programs, and it should be applauded for doing so. The association recognizes that something simple and reasonable needs to be devised soon. Absent that, consumers and manufacturers alike will be saddled with something complicated and unreasonable. < Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN February 2008 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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