asce ecycling april 09

EOL Electronics Recycling – Experiences from Large Urban

Program

American Society of Civil Engineers Going Green: Diverting Materials from

Disposal – Electronic Waste Studies

By Phil Bresee, Broward County Recycling Program Manager

April 30, 2009

Hello!

Phil Bresee, Broward County Recycling Program Manager, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Telephone: (954) 474-1820

E-mail: [email protected]

About Broward County

Jacksonville

Tampa

Orlando

Tallahassee

St. Petersburg

Miami

Naples

Key West

Palm Beach

• Demographically diverse population of nearly 1.8 million people (15th largest in US).

• County seat is Fort Lauderdale.

• Subtropical climate – tourism and beaches major drivers of the County’s economy.

Electronics Recycling

• Consumer Electronics - products such as TVs, VCRs, DVD players, video cameras, telephones, cell phones, and computer equipment

• End-Of-Life Electronics - no longer usable, are obsolete, or just don’t work anymore

• In 2007, an estimated 3 million tons of these goods were generated. Of this, approximately 410,000 tons were recovered for recycling.

What are Electronics?What are Electronics?


• Waste stream management• Remove toxic materials from the waste stream• Reclaim valuable assets• Protect natural resources and conserve energy

Why Recycle ElectronicsWhy Recycle Electronics


• E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world– Volume of sales– Rapid speed at which items are considered outdated

• The International Association of Electronics Recyclers projects that 1 billion computers will be scrapped worldwide by 2010, at a rate of 100 million units per year.

• Recycling electronics saves space in landfills.

>> Waste Stream Management>> Waste Stream Management

US Sales Computers TVs Cell Phones

2000 50.4 million 31.3 million 72.9 million

2007 64.2 million 33.4 million 181.9 million


• While only 2% of Municipal Solid Waste, Electronics contribute up to 70% of the toxic materials in landfills

Electronic equipment contains:• Lead• Cadmium• Mercury• Chromium• Lithium• Brominated Flame Retardants• Phosphorous Coatings

>> Remove Toxic Materials from the Waste Stream>> Remove Toxic Materials from the Waste Stream


• Electronics contain valuable metals • including copper and aluminum

• Computers contain precious metals• gold, silver, palladium, and platinum

• 1 metric ton of computer scrap contains more gold than 17 tons of ore and much lower levels of harmful elements common to ores, such as arsenic, mercury, and sulfur

• If landfilled these resources are lost for future use

>> Reclaim Valuable Assets>> Reclaim Valuable Assets


• Research suggests that as much as 80 % of the energy used in the life cycle of a computer, including manufacturing, can be saved through refurbishment and reuse instead of producing a new unit from raw materials.• Saves the cost of mining • Reduces environmental damage• Conserves land• Reduces green house gases

>> Protect Natural Resources and Conserve Energy>> Protect Natural Resources and Conserve Energy


• Need for Electronics Recycling Program– No existing electronics recycling services in Broward– Need to manage large volume of e-waste

• Electronics Recycling Program begins in FY2001– State of Florida’s Innovative Recycling Grant Program

• Grant funding through FY2002• Resource Recovery Board approved funding to continue the program, now

considered a core service due to the tremendous growth of the program

– Partnership with non-profit to develop e-cycling infrastructure– Local program provides recycling incentives and opportunities

• free for residents and qualified small businesses• convenient locations and/or pick up service

Electronics Recycling in Broward County Electronics Recycling in Broward County


• Broward County Residents• Cost is billed back to non Resource Recovery System cities for

their residents

• Governmental Agencies • County and Resource Recovery System cities

• Qualified Small Businesses • 50 or less employees located within RRS cities• Large businesses and Electronics repair or recycling businesses

may participate for a fee

Program Provides Free ServicesProgram Provides Free Services


• TVs - CRT, Projection, Console, Flat panel• Computer Monitors - CRT, Flat panel• Computers - Desktops, Laptops, Servers• Computer Peripherals - Printers, Faxes, Scanners, Mice,

Keyboards, Cables, Disk Drives, Game Hardware, UPS Batteries, etc.• Telecommunication Devices - Cell Phones, Handheld Devices,

Landline Phones, Answering Machines, etc.• Copiers - Floor and Desktop models• Miscellaneous - Audio and Video Equipment, Cameras, DVD/VCR,

Cable Boxes, etc.

What’s CollectedWhat’s Collected


• Major Appliances/White Goods• Kitchen Appliances including Microwaves• Small Appliances• Health and Beauty Appliances• Music Equipment• Power Tools

What’s Not CollectedWhat’s Not Collected


• Drop-off for Residents:• Trash Transfer Stations• Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling

collection events throughout Broward County • Electronics only collection events for Earth Day and America

Recycles Day• City of Deerfield Beach’s Transfer Station

Collection LocationsCollection Locations


• Residents, Businesses, and Governmental Agencies may drop-off at:• ARC Broward

• Pick-up service:• Broward County and RRS government agencies and eligible

small businesses located within in RRS cities can schedule free pick-up through ARC Broward.

Collection LocationsCollection Locations


ARC Broward is a private, not-for-profit organization which supports and assists people with disabilities .

Electronics are:• Collected• Refurbished• Demanufactured

Refurbished electronics are resold or donated.

Demanufactured materials are sent for further processing into commodity materials.

Broward County in Partnership with ARC BrowardBroward County in Partnership with ARC Broward

Whole Foods – America Recycles Day• November 15, 2008

Best Buy - Earth Day• April 17-18, 2009


Broward County Partners with Private CorporationsBroward County Partners with Private Corporations

City of Oakland Park Electronics Curbside Collection Program

• City collects electronics from residents curbside• City logs collection data• ARC Broward picks up electronics from the City


Broward County in Partnership with RRS CitiesBroward County in Partnership with RRS Cities

Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics

Recycling Events are held 12 times per year

in RRS Cities

Events are Sundays from 8 am to 3pm


Broward County in Partnership with RRS CitiesBroward County in Partnership with RRS Cities


Over 4,715,600 lbs

collected

Over 46,200 participants


307 Business Users 102 Government Users12,271 Resident Users12,680 Total Users

95,528 lbs Business 156,417 lbs Government 787,880 lbs Resident1,039,825 Total lbs

• 12,680 users 35% increase• 1,039,800 lbs 13% increase

• 78,600 lbs of lead recovered 11% increase

• 4,663 TVs collected 44% increase

• 82 pounds per user 9% decrease


In FY 2008…In FY 2008…

• 1,783 event users 55% increase• 94,330 event lbs 36% increase

• 5,910 overall users 58% increase• 395,295 overall lbs 25% increase

• 3,186 TVs collected 85% increase

• 67 pounds per user 12% decrease


FY 2009 Trends…FY 2009 Trends…

The most important thing to remember is…


The Digital Television TransitionThe Digital Television Transition

That rabbit ears will no longer work after June 12.

• February 17, 2009 original deadline– About one-third of the nation's full-power TV stations had

already gone all-digital

• June 12, 2009 new deadline– All remaining full-power television stations still broadcasting

in analog will make the transition to all-digital between April 16 and June 12

• 85% increase in TV collection– 3,186 TVs collected during October 2008 - February 2009– 1,724 collected during the same period in the previous year


The Digital Television TransitionThe Digital Television Transition


1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Total

FY2005 390 294 392 345 1,421

FY2006 432 549 639 614 2,234

FY2007 663 855 785 931 3,234

FY2008 866 1,323 1,221 1,253 4,663

FY2009 1,430 1,756 3,186

March 2009 data not yet available as of this presentation

• Original Agreement with ARC Broward - 12-4-01, included a provision for start up, capital expenses and supplies as well as training and technical support to develop the infrastructure to for an electronics collections, refurbishment, demanufacturing, and recycling facility

• 1st through 4th Amendments– raised the contract's not-to-exceed limits to cover contract costs – incorporated price reductions and reduced administrative costs– adjusted contract scope to address end market documentation– extended the agreement until 09-30-09

• Next Step – RLI– A Request for Letters of Interest to provide Electronics Recycling

Services has been drafted and is expected to be advertised beginning in mid April, short listing in June and presentations and selection in early August.


Agreement for Electronics Recycling ServicesAgreement for Electronics Recycling Services

• State and Local Laws– 11 states and New York City have enacted e-waste legislation– Another 6 states have legislation pending– Banning electronics from landfills– Requiring producers to take back their EOL electronics

• National Producer Take Back Programs– A result of the growing number of state laws requiring producer take

back and recycling– Various fee structures

• To Export or Not To Export – That is the question…


The Future of E-CyclingThe Future of E-Cycling

• Spread the word about ecycling– Share information about the importance of ecycling– More recycling reduces per unit cost associated with use of multi -

million dollar recycling machinery• Use your current electronics longer

– Resist the urge for a new iPod or cell phone if yours still works• Recycle/dispose of EOL electronics responsibly• Buy new electronics from a responsible manufacturer

– has take back program– uses recycled materials in product manufacture– uses green design in manufacture… as much as 50% of the costs of

recycling is related to labor for disassembly


What Can You Do?What Can You Do?

asce ecycling april 09

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