It could contain traces of mercury, cadmium, fire retardant and up to five pounds of lead, making it one of the biggest sources of hazardous waste in the country.
And it is sitting right on your desk.
It is your aging personal computer, a piece of equipment that is a lot easier to buy than to dispose of properly. With the rate of obsolescence accelerating - most organizations now consider a personal computer outdated in three years - dealing with old equipment is no small matter. Last year, more than 63 million computers in the United States were replaced by faster, better and most likely cheaper systems. Where does it all go?
Businesses in the United States are just beginning to address that question with some planning and coordination. Those that have taken control of their electronic waste problems are finding it can pay off in many ways.
For Kaiser Permanente, a well-thought-out electronic waste plan has given the company great leverage in negotiating with equipment vendors, said Lynn Garske, Kaiser's environmental stewardship manager. Today, it buys only from manufacturers that meet its guidelines for reducing the use of certain toxic substances like mercury, a requirement that extends beyond computers to medical supplies and even carpeting. (Mercury and cadmium are still used, in some cases, in the printed circuit boards that are found in PC's.)
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