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How the Digital TV Deadline is Promoting An e-Waste Tsunami

E-waste is Everywhere – even at the Trash People Exhibit at National Geographic in

Washington, DC

.

What’s the Problem?• Digital conversion is leading many to replace

their older TVs

• Electronic equipment contains many toxic materials – CRT TVs contain 4 – 8 lbs of lead

• More e-waste is thrown in the trash than recycled

• Most recyclers export the products to developing countries with no worker safety or environmental protections

• Toxic components and poor design make e-waste hard to recycle

How Much E-Waste Ends Up In Our Landfills?

3,000,000 Tons

2,630,000 Tons Total

2,500,000 Tons

2,000,000 Tons

1,500,000 Tons

1,000,000 Tons

500,000 Tons

330,000 Tons Recycled

Each year, we generate 2.63 million TONS of e-waste in the U.S.

TRASHED: 87.5% 2.3 million tons end up in our landfills or incinerators.

RECYCLED: 12.5%Only 330,000 Tons are collected for recycling.

Source: EPA 2005

Results of exporting e-waste to developing countries

Video documentaries exposing e-Waste export dumping

e-Dump by Michael Zhau

http://michaelzhao.net/eDump/

Exporting Harm and Digital Dump

http://ban.org/main/film.html

Toxic tech video by Greenpeace

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/pulling-the-plug-on-dirty-elec

 Lead Toxins Take a Global Round Trip

‘E-Waste' From Computers Discarded in West Turns Up In China's Exported Trinkets

By GORDON FAIRCLOUGHJuly 12, 2007

YIWU, China -- High levels of toxic lead turning up in cheap jewelry from China are prompting recalls in the U.S. But some of the lead used by these Chinese manufacturers comes from an un-conventional source: computers and other electronic goods discarded in Western countries and dumped in China.

Consumers are trashing working televisions

• The digital conversion is leading consumers to get rid of their old analog televisions, even though many still work

• Older CRT TVs are being replaced with LCDs

• While the set-top converter box is a viable option, for many consumers DTV conversion is the tipping point for replacing their older TVs

• That’s why the FCC DTV rule is the largest government mandated obsolescence initiative in U.S. history.

Switch to digital may clog landfillsBy Jonathan J. Cooper

St. Louis Post-Dispatch05/27/2008

WASHINGTON — The switch from analog to digital television in February could bring problems beyond new costs to consumers: clogged landfills and pollution from old televisions.

Consumers expect to dispose of 43.5 million television sets by the end of this year and nearly 120 million through 2010, according to a survey by the Consumer Electronics Association, which represents manufacturers.

International Herald Tribune

U.S. switch to digital TV raises specter of toxic dumping of old sets By Erica GiesWednesday, June 4, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO: Exposé videos shot by monitor groups show what happens to most electronic goods at the end of their working lives: Shipped to India, China, Nigeria and other developing countries, they are deconstructed by "backyard recyclers" who hammer, chop, grind, chip and heat them into a potent, toxic cocktail.Working with no protection, they are exposed to materials like lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants that can cause intellectual impairment and damage almost every organ and system in the human body, including the brain, nerves and bones.

People of all ages are employed in this work, from young children to grandparents, earning as little as $1.50 a day, according to Basel Action Network, a group that campaigns against recycling abuses. The parts that they cannot sell are burned in vast mounds, further contaminating their air, soil and water. The United Nations estimates that 20 million to 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated worldwide each year.The Basel network and similar groups, including the Electronics TakeBack Coalition in the United States and Greenpeace, warn that a U.S. law ending analog TV transmission in February 2009 - enforcing a switch to exclusively digital reception - could lead to a megadumping of television sets.

Our Strategy: Leaders and Laggards

• Hold up one company as

industry leader• pressure the

“laggards” to measure up

Prison Chain Gang at CES 2003

Jan 2003 Las Vegas: Prison chain gang at Consumer Electronics Show where Michael Dell is keynote speaker. Dell had been using prison labor for recycling.

Protests at Dell Collection events

E-Waste Fashion Show at Susan Dell’s Dress Boutique

Power of protest felt by Dell August 9, 2004

Environmental groups used low-tech campaign to get computer maker's attention on recycling

By Dan Zehr It only took a few thousand letters and a set of prison uniforms.

When a small band of environmental groups first set its sights on Dell Inc. in May 2002, the world's No. 1 producer of personal computers had little interest in expanding the recycling programs for the PCs it sold…

"At first they did ignore us," said Eleanor Whitmore, who worked for the Texas Campaign for the Environment in Austin before moving to its Arlington office. "But if you're a company, and you're concerned about profit, and you have 6,000 letters coming in from customers and shareholders, it really starts to add up after a while…"

Dell Announces Free Takeback in 2004

Apple Shareholder Meeting 2005

Dancing iPods

Computer Company Takeback Programs

Completely Free Takeback Program Dell

Sometimes Free (Free to some users, or for some products)

HP

Apple*

Asus (laptops only)

Toshiba (laptops only)

Offers Takeback Program but Consumers Must Pay Gateway LenovoViewsonic (must buy extended warranty )

No Ongoing Takeback Program AcerNEC

Take Back My TV CampaignStrategy - Leverage the Digital

Conversion to:• Push big part of electronics

industry (TV companies) to do voluntary takeback

• Discredit TV companies who lobby against producer responsibility

• Educate on how new technologies force unsustainably practices (throw-away electronics)

Digital conversion is the largest government mandated obsolescence surge in history.

TV Companies with Free Takeback Program

Sony

No Ongoing Takeback Program FunaiHitachi *JVC *LG (also owns Zenith)

Mitsubishi *Panasonic *Philips *Pioneer *SamsungSanyo *Sharp *Thomson *(owns GE, RCA)

Toshiba * Vizio

* Denotes company that lobbies against state legislation promoting producer takeback programs.

TV Company Takeback Programs Today

TV Targets for 2008-2009• Leader:

– Sony. Launched program in Sept 2007

• Fence Sitters – Currently in dialogue– Samsung (#1 seller in the US)– LG (owns Zenith) – expected to launch program soon

• Laggards: Panasonic, Sharp, Philips (unlikely to move)

• Next round for dialogue:– Vizio (#2 seller in the US) – Toshiba (does computer takeback) – Funai (#5 seller in the US)

• Retailers – Best Buy – Just announced pilot take back program in 3 regions around the U.S.

Focus on the Digital Conversion

The media attention on the upcoming digital conversion helps us get the e-waste tsunami into the story.

On the 1-year countdown, the “Dead TVs Walking” did media “actions” in Dallas, Austin, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, and Denver.

These actions got National TV and print coverage

Map current through May 16, 2008

States with producer responsibility

e-waste laws

States with ARF (consumer fee) e-waste laws

Eleven states (plus NY City) have passed takeback legislation so far

Federal E-Waste Legislation

• Passing federal legislation to close the door on e-waste export

• State bills can’t address export problem

• Promoting EPR nationally

• Stopping a weak federal takeback bill

GAO Report on E-Waste Export

At our urging, the late Congressman Lantos requested that the GAO conduct a report on e-waste export, which will be released in Fall 2008.

This report will set the stage for federal legislation in 2009 on this issue.

US Government Accountability Office

What more can be done to address DTV conversion?

Increase public education to most vulnerable populations, especially seniors

Put more pressure on TV companies to take back old TVs for responsible recycling

Legislative and administrative solutions – Congress – EPA -- FCC

Contact info

Ted Smith, Chair

Electronics TakeBack Coalition

www.electronicstakeback.com

tsmith@igc.org

408-287-6707