It wasn't that long ago that getting rid of a computer monitor or television was often a cumbersome and costly ordeal. Laden with pounds of toxic lead, the cathode ray tubes that are the heart of such devices were unwelcome at garbage dumps and expensive to recycle.
It wasn't that long ago that getting rid of a computer monitor or television was often a cumbersome and costly ordeal.
Laden with pounds of toxic lead, the cathode ray tubes that are the heart of such devices were unwelcome at garbage dumps and expensive to recycle.
Computer companies like Dell and Hewlett-Packard offered programs for sending monitors back to the company for recycling, but shipping charges were often $30 and higher.
Or you could haul computers and TVs to a local landfill, as long as you were willing to pay drop-off fees that often were $25 or more.
It's no wonder than an estimated 6 million old TVs and monitors in California are gathering dust as their owners search for easy and inexpensive ways to get rid of them.
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Recently, though, the dynamic has changed. One local company, Appliance Distribution of Sacramento, now accepts monitors, TVs and other electronic devices at its North B Street facility at no charge. The Western Placer Waste Management Authority in Roseville recently scrapped its $12 fee on monitors and a $25 fee on larger TVs; now drop-offs are free. Sacramento County has 14 recycling spots, three more than a year ago, for the cathode ray tubes, or CRTs.
Much of that is thanks to a law that took effect Jan. 1. On that date, California retailers began tacking $6 to $10 onto the price of every new television or computer sold, depending on screen size.
That money -- $15 million in the first quarter -- has been streaming into a state fund that pays recyclers 48 cents a pound for safely dismantling and disposing of CRTs. That often adds up to more than $13 for a monitor and $24 for a TV.
Officials with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, which runs the program, expect the fund to disburse up to $40 million a year to CRT recyclers.
Because of the subsidies, many companies no longer charge consumers to take their castoff CRTs and TVs.
"It's like the bottle (recycling) system," said Mark Murray, executive director of the Californians Against Waste Foundation and an enthusiastic supporter of the law. "The collectors are now getting reimbursed for their costs."
The law, called the Electronic Waste Recycling Act, prompted ASL, a San Jose recycler, to jump into the program in a big way. It invested $500,000 in modern recycling equipment and contracted with Appliance Distribution of Sacramento to collect CRTs in this area. It pays the company 20 cents a pound to collect the monitors and TVs, then hauls the CRTs back to San Jose.
"The new law turned the business upside down," said Bill McGeever, ASL's vice president of operations. "It's really turned (recycling) into a good business."
As a collector for ASL, the North B Street operation sends out its trucks to collect CRTs for free from businesses and residences within about a 10-mile radius, said Roy Fernandez, the company's president. Before the new law, such a visit cost $45.
Municipal waste collectors also appear pleased. Eric Oddo, senior civil engineer at the Western Placer facility on Fiddyment Road in Roseville, said the reimbursement has allowed his facility to drop all charges for CRTs.
Since 2002, Folsom's Hazardous Materials Division has made residential curbside pickups of CRTs and other environmentally damaging products, such as paint and oil. The cost is built into Folsom's utility bills. The state reimbursement will allow the city to expand services, said Rod Miller, an environmental specialist for the city.
For all the enthusiasm, there is still some grumbling about the program. Before it will reimburse recyclers, the Integrated Waste Management Board requires extensive documentation to assure that no CRTs have been brought in from out of state for recycling.
The blizzard of paperwork caught some recyclers by surprise. "The accountability procedures for recyclers were such a mess," said Sam Briefman, purchasing manager for Sacramento recycler HMR USA.
He said the state's demands made it very difficult to get reimbursement earlier this year, but his company is now developing procedures to smooth things out.
"We are being really picky on the documentation," acknowledged Shirley Willd-Wagner, manager of electronic waste recycling programs at the waste management board. "We spent a lot of time on the first couple of payment claims," she said, adding that the next round of claims is being processed much more quickly.
The program's regulations were published in April 2004 so recyclers shouldn't have been surprised by the requirements, she said.
Even though it's become much easier and cheaper to dispose of CRTs, many recyclers haven't seen much of a surge from consumers. Oddo of the Western Placer facility said there's been no appreciable increase in drop-offs since the fees were eliminated.
Briefman, too, said consumers appear to be in the dark. "This program will only help (encourage recycling) if the public is aware of it," he said.
Willd-Wagner said the waste board was reluctant to publicize the program earlier this year because it didn't want recyclers overwhelmed with tons of CRTs. She said a publicity campaign will launch after the state's new budget is approved.
McGeever, the ASL executive, said he doesn't intend to wait. He already runs radio ads in the Bay Area for his San Jose operation and plans to air spots in the Sacramento area promoting the Appliance Distribution collection site.
Consumers should note that not every state-approved collection site takes computers and TVs at no charge. The law only requires that an approved collection site have one free "collection opportunity" every year.
But Willd-Wagner predicts that consumers will migrate to free collection sites, leaving those who charge fees with little to recycle.
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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
