It is difficult to remember a time when families shared a single landline and an entire room was dedicated to a shared computer that connected to the internet via dial-up. In fact, according to the United Nations Global E-Waste Monitor, global e-waste rose 82% in 2022, compared to 2010.
This means that not only are people consuming more electronic products than ever before, the life cycle has also reduced significantly. In the United States, there are 28 states, as well as Washington, D.C., with e-waste recycling laws, but no federal law requires e-waste recycling or forbids exporting e-waste to developing countries.
In 2015, New York State’s Department of Conservation announced that “consumers could no longer dispose of certain types of electronic equipment in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, in the trash or at curbside for trash pickup.” The act further stated “consumers are required to recycle many electronic waste items, such as computers, computer peripherals, televisions, small scale servers and small electronic equipment, etc., in an environmentally responsible manner.”
While this seems simple enough — find an electronic recycling site near your zip code to dispose of your e-waste — the act does not cover the hundreds of other electronic household devices such as vacuum cleaners, baby monitors, washers and dryers, microwaves and more. Only about 20% of e-waste gets recycled, while the rest of it may be shipped to other countries or sit in landfills.
Dr. Karen Berger, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester, said the issue of e-waste is multifold; electronic waste has also provided an unprecedented contribution to the climate crisis.
“Not only are we producing waste that is shipped to countries that don’t have the same regulations as the U.S., we are also discarding valuable resources from that waste that could help us build renewable sources of energy,” she said.
The concept of a circular economy — where materials are either refurbished or recycled — is more important than ever before, especially when our e-waste has copper, iron, tin, cobalt, aluminum and other valuable resources. The UN’s Global E-waste Monitor reported that the U.S. has $62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for.
“It’s very hard for a consumer to know what’s happening to their e-waste,” said Berger. “In Monroe County, we’re very fortunate that we have the ecopark.”
The ecopark (all lowercase) is a one-stop, drop off location open Wednesdays and Saturdays, made possible through a partnership between Monroe County and Waste Management of New York.
Of course, proper disposal begins with education.
“I’m surprised how often someone will leave a TV next to their trash cans even though that’s illegal,” said Berger. “I don’t think people are trying to get around the law, but there is a lack of knowledge.”
Established in 2000, Sunnking Sustainable Solutions in Brockport processes over 25 million pounds of renewable resource materials annually and holds the distinction of being New York State’s first R2-certified recycler. This certification assures customers that private data from their devices is wiped clean to prevent security issues, as well as guaranteeing e-waste is not just shipped to a different country and instead, it is either recycled or refurbished.
But Paola Viera, community programs manager at Sunnking, added that electronic waste has also provided an unprecedented contribution to the climate crisis.
“E-waste by weight in landfills only accounts for somewhere between 2-5% of space, but makes for over 70% of the toxic materials that run off with the water in landfills,” she said. “We’re fortunate that we have e-waste laws in place but even with that, New York’s recycling rate is under 30% and we only have about 16 years of landfill space left.”
Kali Smith, director of sustainability and compliance at Sunnking, said responsible recycling is the top priority.
“We want to make sure that recycled items are sent back to the circular economy,” she said. “We have a reporting tool for clients so they can actually see how many emissions they are avoiding by sending their products to us.”
In their warehouse, they recycle and refurbish electronics as well as process Styrofoam and cardboard to send to other recycling facilities.
The Sunnking website has a drop off locator; with about 120 collection sites that operate year-round, all registered with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Equal to the recycling itself, Sunnking focuses on bridging the digital divide and empowering people through sustainable practices. Notably, their partnership with Camp Good Days, e-Scrap for Camp, has recycled over 6.8 million pounds of electronics and donated more than $160,000 to bring joy to children facing life-threatening challenges.
“We don’t know the value of the materials that are just sitting in our closet,” said Berger. “E-waste recycling is a key factor in transitioning into renewable energy sources such as solar panels and electric cars,” said Berger. “We don’t know the value of the materials that are just sitting in our closet.” sunnking.com
Suhasini Patni is a contributing writer to CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
