Recycles.Org  BETA Nonprofit Materials Exchange Network Computer & Office Electronics Recycling & Reuse

Title: They bury computers, don't they?

Source: http://www.eye.net/ NICOLE COHEN

In a cramped workshop in the basement of a video rental shop on the corner of Bloor and Jane Streets, Dennis Maslo is working on his small green revolution. The office/warehouse of computer recycling business Computation is filled with ceiling-high stacks of equipment: keyboards, mice, hard drives, monitors, printers and USB cables. In one corner lies a pile of monitors that can't be refurbished and will be shipped to a GTA or Montreal facility that can reclaim the plastics and metals for raw materials like platinum, gold, copper and wire. Another heap contains hard drives that will be repaired, upgraded and sold to second-hand stores and on eBay. Another has computers that will be donated to charities and youth organizations. In total, 100 per cent of the parts in this room will be diverted from Ontario landfills. "The computer on your desk is relatively harmless but as soon as it's in a landfill, mixing with soil and water, it becomes toxic," says Maslo, 27. "Our mission is to diminish the effect on the environment." Environment Canada reports that our electronic waste -- known as e-waste and including things like VCRs and stereos -- totalled 157,000 tonnes in 2002. Not surprising, seeing as Canadians replace their computers about every four years, and the turnover in companies and corporations is even higher. And though the city's Works Committee has estimated, using figures from a 2000 Environment Canada report, that this year Toronto residents and business will generate about 12,000 tonnes of computer waste, dumping your computer -- even though it is toxic waste -- is not illegal and computer recycling is still a relatively new industry. Maslo started Computation in 2001 and figures he has since diverted a few thousand computers and monitors from landfills. While the environmental mandate has not made him a rich, it is sustaining his business. He employs two steady workers, two occasional employees and has two business partners. He won't tell me what his profit margins are but says the business is paying for itself. And as more attention is being paid to electronic waste these days, a company like Maslo's -- and there are several in Toronto -- could stand to make big bucks. Last October, Ontario Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky declared an e-waste diversion program under the Waste Diversion Ontario Act. The scope of the plan, currently under development by Waste Diversion Ontario -- an organization of business, government and municipal reps -- is still unclear, but it could hold electronics manufacturers responsible for contributing to the cost of recycling. "Once we receive the plan, we'll review it, get public comment, and the minister will make a decision that will turn it into regulation," says spokesman John Steele. He cannot estimate when this will happen or what the plan will entail: "It's too early to comment. The bottom line is that you want to divert [waste] from landfills; we'll leave it up to the industry to explain to us how to best do that." On the national level, Electronics Product Stewardship Canada, a not-for-profit made up of 16 electronics manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Sony and IBM), is working on a countrywide e-waste stewardship program. The plan will likely mean that the cost of recycling electronics will be built into the price of the gadgets. The environmental fee would be redistributed to provincial or regional organizations that manage the local recycling. It will be up to local governments to set up depots and businesses such as Maslo's will be contracted to recycle or re-use the equipment. Computation is not the only player in the computer recycling game. There are other businesses and non-profits, such as reBOOT Canada, a non-profit that fixes old computers and circulates them to charities and the similar Technology Learning Alliance, which has been working with the city since 2001 to recycle outdated equipment. That partnership saw the establishment of five computer-recycling depots at waste transfer stations around the city. But transfer stations are often only accessible by car or multiple-transfer TTC, have restrictions on drop-off hours and are limited to three units per load, which doesn't make computer recycling seem all that efficient for many downtowners and larger businesses. Many companies donate obsolete machines to schools or pay someone to pick up machines and take them to a recycler. Some computer manufacturers do recycle products, but for a price. Hewlett-Packard will take back computer equipment from any manufacturer for $20 to $52 per item, and IBM Canada charges $49.99, which includes shipping. These companies have recently found that consumers want to recycle their computers but they don't want to pay for it. Alberta implemented Canada's first electronic-recycling program last October. Equipment is picked up, just like garbage, and an environmental fee, from $5 to $45, is added to the products upfront. Europe has take-back legislation in place, which means if an electronic product has a company's logo on it, the company is responsible for it until it's recycled. It's possible Ontario and Canada's policies could head in the same direction. Maslo will be watching the legislation carefully. "It's tough to say where it's going," he says. "If the large players get involved, one of my concerns is they have a vested interest in the new computer market and no interest in seeing the market flooded with cheap used goods." He thinks take-back legislation is promising, as it could force companies to design computers that are easily disassembled and upgraded and have more environmentally beneficial parts. Maslo, who is working on a Masters of Environmental Applied Science and Management at Ryerson, has a holistic approach to the business of computer recycling. His model is to minimize shipping distances and ensure the computers and equipment are recirculated in the community. He'd like to see that model built into any imminent legislation. His towers of equipment, which will be moved out of here over the next few weeks, prove to Maslo there is a need for e-waste recycling programs, and public pressure can help shape legislation. "It's up to the market and the community to decide if this is a valuable service," he says. "Do you want to take care of e-waste or are we going to let it slide?"