BBC NEWS | Technology | PC users 'want greener machines'

EDITOR:
I have been going to Thompson's Sanitary Fill for the last few days, hauling off cuttings. While there I asked the prices to safely dispose of old computer equipment. $9 for a monitor and $6 for each other component. These things are really loaded with toxins please bite the bullet and dispose of them properly.

BBC NEWS | Technology | PC users 'want greener machines': "
Last Updated: Monday, 26 June 2006, 14:56 GMT 15:56 UK
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PC users 'want greener machines'
Junk yard in Nanyang (Greenpeace/Natalie Behring)
Old technology often ends up in junk yards in China
Consumers are willing to pay up to an extra £108 ($197) for a PC containing fewer chemicals, a survey has found.

People also feel manufacturers should take responsibility for the disposal of old machines, the research shows.

So-called e-waste is a growing global problem, with 30 million PCs being dumped each year in the US alone.

The study by Ipsos-Mori for Greenpeace coincides with an announcement by PC maker Dell to phase out a number of toxic chemicals in its products.

The nine-nation research found that UK computer users were willing to pay an extra £64 ($117), while people in China were prepared for spend up to £108 ($197) for a more environmentally sound PC.

E-waste


HAZARDOUS WASTE
Computer, BBC
1: Lead in cathode ray tube and solder
2: Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes
3: Selenium in circuit boards as power supply rectifier
4: Polybrominated flame retardants in plastic casings, cables and circuit boards
5: Antimony trioxide as flame retardant
6: Cadmium in circuit boards and semiconductors
7: Chromium in steel as corrosion protection
8: Cobalt in steel for structure and magnetivity
9: Mercury in switches and housing
A report published by the UN University in 2004 said making the average PC required 10 times the weight of the machine in chemicals and fossil fuels.

The study also found that the short life of computer equipment was leading to a mountain of toxic waste, mainly in India and China.

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a massive global problem. Thirty million computers are thrown out every year in the US alone.

About 70% of heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, in landfill sites come from e-waste."