Obsolete computers
In 1998, it was estimated that 20 million computers became obsolete in the United States, and the overall e-waste volume was estimated to be as much as 7 million tons. A 1999 study conducted by Stanford Resources, Inc. for the National Safety Council projected that 41 million personal computers would be come obsolete in 2001, that’s more than double the amount from 3 years earlier. The latest projection estimates that more than 63 million computers will be retired in the United States by the year 2005.  And to make matters worse, recycling industry resources estimate that between 50-80 percent of the e-waste collected for recycling in the U.S. is not recycled domestically, but is exported in countries under development like Asia.  

The Residual value
Studies tell us that approximately 75 percent of obsolete electronics are currently being stored in warehouses. Many have the impression that used electronics have substantial residual value. In fact, the older the equipment, the less value it has; as we spend more to hold on to it and sacrifice needed storage space. Have you noticed the new technology in television monitors? As a result of HDTV technologies and plasma screens, an estimated 400 million televisions will become technically obsolete in this decade. It is safe to say that discarded electronics is a rapidly growing waste stream that brings up several issues regarding proper disposal and environmental consequences.

According to the EPA, in 1997 more than 3.2 million tons of e-waste ended up in U.S. landfills. It is thought that most households and small businesses that dispose rather than store their obsolete electronic components send their material to landfills or incinerators rather than take them to recyclers. Quite simply, throwing it away has been easier and cheaper.

The last option
Landfills are NOT an option. All waste landfills leak. Even the best state of the art landfills are not completely secure and a certain amount of chemical and metal leaking will occur. The situation is far worse for the older or less stringent maintained dump sites. When disposed  in a landfill, e-waste becomes a conglomeration of plastic and steel casings, circuit boards, glass tubes, wires, resistors, capacitors, and other assorted parts and materials. About 70% of heavy metals found in landfills (including mercury and cadmium) come from electronic discards. These heavy metals and other hazardous substances found in electronics can contaminate groundwater. In 2001, cathodic ray tubes (CRTs) were banned from municipal landfills in California, Massachusetts and Maine because of this documented contamination. CRT’s can contain as much as 27 percent lead and are considered hazardous when discarded. Most recently, Minnesota passed legislation to outlaw CRT’s from their landfills and other states are expected to follow suit.