2004-01-23 CC Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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A Growing Problem: Discarded TVs and ComputE3rs . TVs and computer monitors contain'lead New Technologies = more obsolete units discarded Old TVs and computer monitors should be recycled Currently, recycling options for residents are not adequate . Would you throw 2 pounds of lead in your garbage? Probably not . yet wh:msomeone disposes of a TV or computer mohitor in the garbage, they do just that o iVs and computer monitors can contain from 2 to 8 pounds of lead as well as mercury, cadmium and PCBs. iVs and computer monitors are considered the largest single source of lead in Minnesota's garbage. lead and other heavy metals can cause damage to health and the environment. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, lead poisoning can cause learning. behavioral and health problems In young chl1dren and high oloqd pressure, kidney damage and damage to the reproductive organs in adults. There are a lot of TVs and computer monitors in Minnesota homes that people will want to get rid of eventually. o More than 3.5 million iVs are in Minnesota homes today, and another 2.0 miliion computer monitors are in Minnesota homes and businesses. Changes in technology such as digital broadcast television and fiat screens shorten the US,e[Ullives of electronic devices and promise to increase the amount ofelectronicSlhat wili be discarded in the future. If not in the garbage can, where should old TVs and 'computer monitors go? . These wastes do l!Q1 belong in the garbage with other mixed wastes. In the 2003 session, the State Legislature prOhibited the disposal of cathode ray tubes found in iVs and computer monitors in mixed wastes, effective July 1, 2005. Discarded iVs and computer monitors can and should be recycled. Nearly all of the component parts, including the lead and glass, can be recycled or recovered. . In 2002, news of shipment of old iVs and computers to countries such as China became widely known, Old electronic equipment from the U.S. was being broken down in unsafe conditions and seriously contaminated local Waters. We need to work hard to be sure that this method of disposal of our wastes does not happen. (For more information, go to www. http://www.computertakeback.com) Ifs not easy at this time for Minnesota residents to get their discarded electronics recycled. While residents frequently store old TVs and monitors after they are no longer useful, there comes a point in time when these items become a nuisance. . 0 Mariy waste haulersdo not pickup iVs and computer monitOrS, and those who do qften ch~rge a fee. o Recycling options that exist are not always conveniently located or open at times that are convenient for residents. o Recyclers that take old iVs and computer monitors charge fees that some residents consider too expensive. ',.