INFORM Inc., a national environmental research organization based in New York City, released Waste in the Wireless World: The Challenge of Cell Phones May 8, which includes design and disposal recommendations for minimizing the environmental and health impacts from wireless waste.
The report analyzes environmental problems created by the current disposal methods for cell phones and related technology, such as personal digital assistants, portable e-mail devices, pagers, pocket PCs and MP3 players. According to the report, wireless waste produces particularly acute problems when the devices are sent to landfills or incinerators, where release of the toxins within create threats to human health and the environment.
“Because these devices are so small, their environmental impact may appear to be minimal,” Bette Fishbein, INFORM senior fellow and author of the report, says. “But the growth in their use has been so enormous that the environmental and public health impacts of the waste they create are a significant concern. Now is the time to address them.”
The design-related recommendations outlined in the report include:
- Reduction of toxic substances, particularly lead and brominated flame retardants,
- Implementation of a worldwide technical standard for all cell phone carriers and standardized cell phone design elements; and
- Designing with disassembly, reuse and recycling in mind.
The disposal-related recommendations outlined in the report include:
- Implementation of effective take-back programs by U.S. manufacturers;
- Development of financial incentives, such as deposit/refund systems, to encourage consumers to return wireless devices for collection and reuse or recycling;
- Targeting of rechargeable batteries for take-back; and
- Introduction of take-back programs at the outset for disposable cell phone, if and when the devices become available.
The study documents efforts in Europe, Japan and Autralia to deal with wireless waste. For example, Australia has implemented the world’s first and only nationwide take-back program dedicated to recovering and recycling cell phones. In the European Union, pending directives will require electronics manufacturers to phase out toxic components and take responsibility for waste generated by products marketed in the EU. Forthcoming design guidelines in Japan will result in more longer-lasting and recyclable electronic products with fewer toxic components.
“Despite the lack any current or pending federal legislation addressing the end-of-life management of electronics, U.S. government and industry are likely to be influenced by trends abroad,” Fishbein says. “For example, state-level legislation is being considered in California, Massachusetts and Minnesota that would make producers responsible for paying the costs of managing the waste generated by their electronic products.”