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Dear Umbra,

I'm awfully concerned about this switch to digital televisions, and it's not because I'm worried about getting a converter box. I'm anxious at the prospect of millions of old televisions finding their way into the landfills in one mass trashing of old technology. Already at my small apartment complex I've seen three big TVs thrown into the dumpster. Isn't this toxic waste? No one's talking about anything but converter boxes and rabbit ears. What should people be doing with their old TVs if they decide to opt out of converter boxes and just buy a new one? Isn't this an ecological nightmare in the making? Can you help allay my fears, or is it as bad as I think?

Analongingly,
Susan
Los Angeles, Calif.

Dearest Susan,

Isn't watching television supposed to numb you out, so that you don't worry about this kind of problem? Aren't we talking about an opiate for the masses?

Yesterday’s news.

Televisions are indeed toxic waste. And while the 110 million U.S. households with televisions have been granted a slight delay in this digital "revolution" thanks to the new administration, the switcheroo should be in full force by June 12, sending millions of televisions to their landfill doom.

When this so-called revolution comes, older televisions with no digital capacity will either need a converter box (get coupon here) or be retired. The change to digital will give emergency and public safety communications more room on the broadcast spectrum, and will apparently give improved picture quality. Can we choose whether we want better or worse picture quality? Better pictures of Jon Stewart I can get behind, but I do not want to see any sharper images of Larry King.

Ecologically this "revolution" is indeed a potential nightmare. A converter box is the economical choice, and online instructions for whether you need one and which kind abound (here's How Stuff Works). If you do go with the cheaper (and subsidized) converter box instead of the new TV, choose an Energy Star box. If you choose to spend the money on a new TV, it will likely be more efficient than your current model. I will write about this again soon, but in brief, rear projection screens are looking best, then LCDs, then plasma. Read more about it at CNET.

Heedless TV chucking is a problem. Traditional televisions, with the funnel shape and back-straining heft, contain cathode ray tubes. The tubes shoot an electron beam (using, natch, an electron gun) at the phosphor-coated glass. To protect us innocent pleasure-seekers from Dr. Cathode and his evil electron beam, the glass contains lead. Lots of lead -- between two and five pounds, near as I can figure. Lead ingestion makes us dumb, so it is very important to recycle CRTs rather than dump them in the trash. They also contain mercury. In many areas, disposing of TVs in the garbage is not only unwise but illegal.

The scope of the problem is vast, as the EPA's stats attest. In 2007, the recycling rate for televisions was estimated at 18 percent of the 26.9 million units ready for "end-of-life management." Just for some fun math, at four pounds of lead per TV, 26.9 million TVs equals 107.6 million pounds of lead. That's a lot of ingots.

The up side is that you can help make it better. A properly retired TV is separated into its component bits -- metals, plastic, circuit boards -- which are then recycled and sold. The CRT can be made into a new CRT or it can be melted, then the lead separated out and recycled. You can find out where, near you, TVs should go, and spread the word. Find a place to recycle your television at Earth911.com or via the EPA's eCycling site, which also will tell you the laws in your state. Maybe there is a drop-off site or event near you -- there were events in various places around the country in conjunction with the original conversion deadline of February 21. If you felt very motivated, you could create your own drop-off event, find a truck, and take all your neighbors'/co-workers' TVs to the recycler. At the least you could put up informative signs.

Thank you for reminding us all about the horror that is planned obsolescence and the vital importance that we and all our friends and neighbors dispose of our e-waste with care.

What I really want to know is, can I borrow your most excellent sign-off?

Analongingly,
Umbra

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Monday saw the dawn of the e-Stewards Initiative, the first independently accredited certification program for responsible recycling of electronic waste. "By choosing an e-Steward recycler," explains Sarah Westervelt of the program, "consumers and large businesses are assured that their old computers and TVs will be safely managed, and not simply tossed into a local landfill, processed unsafely by prison laborers, or exported to developing countries."

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A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office paints a bleak picture of electronic-waste practices in the United States and condemns the U.S. EPA for its lax enforcement of a new national e-waste law. E-waste often contains toxics like cadmium, lead, and mercury, which can leach out of computers, TVs, and other electronics once they're in the landfill. And even when e-waste is reclaimed for recycling, recyclers usually end up exporting it to the developing world to be disassembled in poor working conditions with rudimentary equipment, often leading to severe pollution of the air and water. "U.S. law allows the unfettered export of nearly all types of used electronic devices," the report said. However, last year a new national law took effect in the U.S. that aimed to stem the flow of old cathode-ray tube screens overseas. So far, though, enforcement has been weak; the GAO said that "EPA has done little" to even set up an enforcement program. The report found that 43 U.S. recyclers were violating the CRT regulations and that the EPA doesn't know where 80 percent of U.S. e-waste is headed.

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European Union laws prohibiting the export of hazardous materials aren't keeping shipments of electronic waste out of West Africa, according to a new Greenpeace report. Traders obtain e-waste in the E.U. and ship it off "under the false label of 'second-hand goods,'" says the report, adding, "Sending old electronic equipment to developing countries is often hailed as 'bridging the digital divide.' But all too often this simply means dumping useless equipment on the poor." Soil samples taken near two e-waste scrapyards in Ghana showed dangerous levels of phthalates, chlorinated dioxins, lead, and other toxic metals; the report notes that much of the disassembling is done by children. Companies must "take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products," says Martin Hojsik of Greenpeace, and "not allow their products to end up poisoning the poor around the world." Greenpeace has previously reported on sketchy e-waste situations in southeast Asia and China and India.

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Electronics retailer Best Buy announced on Monday that it's testing a free electronic-waste recycling program in 117 of its stores in the Baltimore, Minneapolis, and San Francisco areas, plus a few other select stores in the East and Midwest. Customers can bring in up to two e-waste items per day for free recycling, including TVs, computers, video-game consoles, VCRs, and the like. "We want to take the time to learn if we can handle this before we go any further," said Best Buy spokesperson Kelly Groehler. "We know the need is there and the waste stream is there. We think everyone needs to bear some responsibility for this -- consumers, retailers and manufacturers." If all goes well, Best Buy could expand the program to include its 805 other U.S. stores.

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Greenpeace has released the fifth version of its Guide to Greener Electronics, and lauds the tech industry for making "great improvements" since the first scorecard hit the scene in August 2006. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Dell took the top three spots this time around; Apple, the CEO of which was rankled by his company's dead-last ranking in April, is now solidly tied with Hewlett-Packard for second-to-last, ahead of Panasonic. The report, released yesterday, noted that HP is "in free fall" on the list; also yesterday, coincidentally, HP launched an effort to improve e-waste recycling in Africa.

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A newly formed United Kingdom task force will work to reduce the energy-sucking impacts of computing equipment, which some say pumps as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere there as the airline industry. The public-private partnership, called "Green Shift," will study how to make PCs and their related equipment more efficient. The group's first endeavor is to reduce the load on home computers by making applications such as office programs, email, and internet browsing available through a network of remote data centers accessed via broadband. This, they say, would allow manufacturers to build stripped-down PCs that use 75 percent fewer resources during production and take 98 percent less energy to operate. "Cyber-warming is a massive issue," says Minister of Local Government Phil Woolas. "The new task force is the first of its kind in the world and is a sign of how serious the U.K. is about tackling this issue." The data-center scheme will be piloted in 2008, with a debut planned for 2009.

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Dear Umbra,

As I was carrying a stack of CDs from the car into my home, my sister laughed and showed me the size of her MP3 player, which contains well over 100 times the music at a fraction of the size. Environmentally, which causes less of an impact? I hear that all these (non-recyclable) portable devices are terrible for the environment, and I've had some of my CDs going on (gasp!) 15 years. Downloading seems like it produces less waste, but the type of waste that is generated is what concerns me.

Kas Sut
Davis, Calif.

Dearest Kas,

If the always-hoped-for, side-by-side analysis of these two systems existed out there in the world, it would be music to my ears. But I didn't find such, so we must weigh what we know to be true.

Just push play.

Photo: iStockphoto.

Let's learn about CDs first. They are made of clear polycarbonate backed with a reflective metal, usually aluminum. This involves injecting stuff into molds, which sounds fun and squirty. Part of the process is even called "sputtering." The disc is lacquered, the label silk-screened on, and the whole thing packaged in paper and plastic. The paper is usually virgin, and the plastic -- well, I fear it is PVC, my friends.

The CD gets shipped (more impact), we buy it, and we listen to it on a CD player or computer. These machines both contain the heavy metals customarily found in electronic devices -- see our discussions of PCs and cell phones. They also consume electricity.

When we tire of the CD, we sell it, donate it, or throw it away. If we are very good, we send it and its packaging to an "e-waste" recycler. When the CD player itself goes to the great jukebox in the sky, we probably discard it as well, since electronic-waste programs are just gaining steam. If we are very good, we check with groups like eRecycle to find out where to take it instead.

Back in MP3 land, we have a small, computerized device which, by necessity of purpose, fashion, and size, is also chock-a-block full of heavy metals. It uses (toxin-filled!) rechargeable batteries that may or may not eventually be recycled. To fill the player with music, you spend time downloading files -- which, according to one study by Digital Europe, theoretically means 50 percent less resource consumption than buying CDs at a store or online. This is a substantial difference, but as the study points out, it can vary greatly depending on things like people's downloading habits and internet connections.

When it comes to disposing of an MP3 player, we are also concerned about recycling. And there's the further complication of duration. You've had your CDs for 15 years. Will MP3 players find such permanence? Or will they be akin to cell phones, with each model quickly o'erthrown by the next generation? I suspect the latter, at least at this point in their development, which would mean more waste. The good news, in this case, is that Apple will take back old iPods, and Dell will take back any Dell-branded electronic product too.

I'm afraid I have no overly scientific conclusion for you, though I fear your CDs may not stack up. However, I can say this with certainty: electronics manufacture and disposal is moving toward Solid Waste Crisis proportions. Instead of worrying so much about how you play your music, worry about pressuring manufacturers and governments to require end-of-life take-back plans for electronic products. To get started, visit EPA's product stewardship pages, where you can learn more about state, federal, and international efforts to keep these toxics out of our landfills.

Harmonically,
Umbra

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