E-Waste Proliferating

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The 16,000 square-foot warehouse at 401 NE Rock Island Avenue in Peoria is piled high with computers and televisions -- all used. It's the place where Recycling for Illinois, a not-for-profit recycling company, seeks to stem the tide of an onrushing sea of electronic appliances.

PEORIA, Ill. — The 16,000 square-foot warehouse at 401 NE Rock Island Avenue in Peoria is piled high with computers and televisions -- all used.


It's the place where Recycling for Illinois, a not-for-profit recycling company, seeks to stem the tide of an onrushing sea of electronic appliances.


"We live in a disposable society. People always want the latest and greatest, courtesy of the marketing departments," said Michael Hodge, RFI executive director, pointing to stacks of battered appliances, shrink-wrapped on wooden pallets, amid hulking cardboard bins of computer parts.


And we're disposing at a frightening rate.


Electronic waste has been growing rapidly along with our technology habit. E-waste makes up the fastest growing segment of the municipal solid waste stream and it's expected to double in five years, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.


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Also rising is the frequency with which people exchange one gadget for another. "The typical homeowner gets a new computer every year. We've had computers in here that were still under warranty. They could have been fixed for free," said Hodge.


While the sale of electronic items grows, the life cycle of these products continues to get shorter, he said.


This proliferation of PCs and Panasonics not only takes up space -- limited landfill space -- but much of the e-waste contains hazardous substances, such as lead, mercury and arsenic, according to the EPA.


With U.S. homes and businesses discarding an average of 133,000 PCs a day, more than 400 million computers will be discarded over the next three years, according to Gartner, a Stamford, Conn. research firm.


While a handful of states have banned e-waste in their landfills, it's presently legal for Illinois homeowners to dump electronic waste into state landfills, said Peoria County recycling director Karen Raithel.


Businesses are forbidden to use landfills for their e-waste, she said. So when area companies and institutions undertake a computer upgrade, stacks of machines often end up at the RFI warehouse.


The company conducts collection events throughout central Illinois. Last week's collection effort in Kankakee netted more than three semi loads of equipment, said Hodge.


This Saturday at Expo Gardens in Peoria, the Illinois EPA is collecting household hazardous waste items from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Along with paint and pesticides, the public can drop off electronic items with RFI at that location.


But computers and TVs aren't the only items that get recycled. Hodge's staff is in the process of stripping down 23 kidney dialysis machines. "They turned them away at the landfill so we got them," he said.


Hodge doesn't despair that his warehouse will fail to meet the electronic challenge of our time. "If we take in more material than we can process, I know we need more staff to process it," he said.


Hodge makes the recycling center work with a mix of full-time, part-time and volunteer labor. "Right now we have 15 full-time people. We probably will get up to 20 by the end of the year," he said. Twenty to 25 volunteers also lend a hand to recycling efforts, said Hodge.


While electronic recycling is busy year-round, there's a spike after Christmas when new gadgets displace old ones, he said.


Along with recycling electronics, RFI donates computers to disabled and low-income citizens in the area. It also teaches computer skills to the general public, said Hodge.


"Our strong point is PC repair. We test everything. The (units) that are good we keep on hand," he said. Salvaging usable machines also allows the firm to resell used electronic equipment to the general public. A modest display showcases a variety of computers, TVs, radios and other appliances for sale in one of the offices on Northeast Rock Island Avenue.


"Our ultimate goal is not to throw anything away. Right now we throw away about 1 percent of what we receive," said Hodge. Metal gets smelted down while wires, parts and motherboards get sorted for reuse. Machines are either remade, resold or recycled, he said.


RFI's biggest needs are wooden pallets and large cardboard boxes known as Gaylords, said Hodge. "Bemis Bag helps us out with Gaylords but we're always looking for more," he said.


A recent state grant of $45,000 will help RFI build ramps and be more efficient with the handling of electronic units, said Hodge. The grant shows the priority the state gives recycling, he said. "It's a timely issue since (electronic waste) is not going to go away," he said.


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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News