The
following facts and figures give a brief insight into some
of the environmental issues caused by the disposal of waste
office equipment. They make interesting – sometimes
alarming – reading, and may help to persuade you if
you were in any doubt as to why we think The Green Package
is a good idea.
We landfill too much. The
UK’s businesses produce around 35 million
tonnes of waste each year. Currently 66% goes to
landfill.
Landfill on your doorstep. There
are 3,500 landfill sites in the UK. The average volume
of a landfill site is equivalent to 400 football pitches.
Britain is running out
of space to put its rubbish. Space approved
for landfill in England and Wales is set to run out
in the next five to ten years unless we all play an
active part in recycling.
Landfill is expensive. Landfill
tax has risen from £10 per tonne in 1999 to £15
per tonne in 2004 (£1 per year). From 2005, the
rate will increase annually by a minimum of £3
per tonne, with a medium-to-long term target of £35
per tonne.
Landfill can harm the air
above us... Landfill produces methane and
carbon dioxide, both greenhouse gases which contribute
to climate change.
…and the ground below
us. Leachates – liquid toxins produced
by landfill – can pollute groundwater and rivers.
Landfill must be replaced
by more sustainable solutions. Legislation
is pushing up the costs of waste disposal and Tony
Blair has challenged the FTSE350 companies to report
on their corporate responsibility agendas. The government
is bringing in tough new laws, agreed in Europe, which
will make all local authorities use methods of waste
management other than landfill, such as recycling,
composting and energy recovery.
One company can make a
real difference. For every desk donated to
the third sector, around 110kg is saved from landfill.
One major corporate recently donated 3,000 tonnes to
the initiative. The same volume, had it been landfilled,
would have created a hole large enough to bury 178
double-decker buses.
We already do. Commerce
incinerates more of its waste (7.5%) than industry (1%)
and domestic (5%).
But
it’s the most
expensive waste disposal option. Incineration
has the highest running costs and is very energy intensive.
And
it’s not pleasant. Incineration
emissions include CO2, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and
carcinogenic dioxins.
‘Electroscrap’ incineration
is particularly dangerous. For instance, copper
is a catalyst for the formation of dioxins (harmful
chemical by-products) when flame-retardants are incinerated.
PVCs are also found in WEEE which makes the flue gas
residues and air emissions particularly dangerous.
It’s
not necessary. It
is estimated that British industry discards more than
1.5 million computers every year. An astonishing 90%
of these are fully functioning, and yet fewer than 5%
are refurbished for reuse.
It’s dangerous and
it’s being dumped. Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) contains heavy metals
and extremely toxic organic compounds. Currently, over
90% is landfilled.
It’s
a big contributor to pollutant levels. The hazardous nature
of the products poses significant waste management
problems. There are estimates that the huge amount
of WEEE that is landfilled, incinerated or recovered
without any pre-treatment constitutes an important
share of various pollutants found in the municipal
waste stream.
The rapid growth of WEEE
is a growing concern. The growth of WEEE is
about three times higher than the growth of the other
municipal waste streams.
And
it’s needed elsewhere. 40%
of UK households still don’t possess a computer.
90% of children in developing countries do not have
access to IT. Community groups and the education
sector benefit
greatly from affordable, recycled IT
Lead. Lead accumulates
in the environment and has high acute and chronic toxic
effects on plants, animals and micro-organisms. Consumer
electronics constitute 40% of lead found in landfills.
Cadmium. Toxic
cadmium and cadmium compounds accumulate in the human
body, in particular in the kidneys, absorbed through
respiration or taken up with food. It has a half-life
of thirty years (i.e. in thirty years it’s still
half as toxic) which means that cadmium can have cumulative
detrimental effects on human health and the environment.
Mercury. When
inorganic mercury spreads out in the water, it is transformed
to methylated mercury in the bottom sediments. Methylated
mercury easily accumulates in living organisms and concentrates
through the food chain particularly via fish. Methylated
mercury causes chronic brain damage. It is estimated
that 22% of the yearly world consumption of mercury is
used in electrical and electronic equipment.
Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium
VI). Chromium VI causes strong allergic reactions
even in small concentrations. Asthmatic bronchitis
is linked to chromium VI. It may also cause DNA damage.
Incineration generates fly ash which is leachable.
There is widespread agreement among scientists that
wastes containing chromium should not be incinerated.
Last, but definitely not
least… Brominated Flame Retardants. At
the top of the list of nasties to be found in PCs,
brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to reduce
the risk of devices bursting into flames. These agents
are now thought to poison the body in a similar way
to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Once commonly
used in industry, PCBs were found in the 1980s to interfere
with the development of foetuses and human nerve tissue
and were widely banned.
USEFUL LINKS
We’ve researched and provided some useful links to government websites
and organisations offering business support on environmental issues.
Sources: Global Action Plan
The Environment Agency
HM Treasury
Green-Works
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
Computer Active Online Detailed source references available
on request
The
following facts and figures give a brief insight into some
of the environmental issues caused by the disposal of waste
office equipment. They make interesting – sometimes
alarming – reading, and may help to persuade you if
you were in any doubt as to why we think The Green Package
is a good idea.
Click here to visit the Useful Links page.