Why is ELECTRONIC RECYCLING so IMPORTANT?

Electronic equipment can contain a variety of heavy metals including lead and mercury that have been defined as toxic or hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA determines the toxicity characteristics of solid waste containing these hazardous materials through the use of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test Method 1311 contained in "Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods" (EPA Publication SW-846). Both electronic circuit boards and cathode ray tubes can fail the TCLP requirements. As a result, almost all electronic devices would contain elements that exhibit toxicity characteristics in excess of those that arc allowed by municipal solid waste landfills.

Recovery of these elements is not only often the most economically viable method of disposal of electronic scrap, but is also required by law.

According to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) under Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 261.1 (b), solid waste shall be managed as a hazardous waste upon determining the waste meets one or more of the following criteria:

1)     It exhibits any of the characteristics of hazardous waste (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or
toxicity), as identified in 40 CFR 261.20, "Subpart C" -

2)   It is designated as an acutely hazardous waste, or

3)     The waste contains any of the toxic constituents listed in 40 CFR 261 Appendix VIII "Hazardous Waste Constituents".

40 CFR 262.11 "Hazardous Waste Determination" requires the generator of a solid waste to make a hazardous waste determination. The generator may apply user knowledge of the waste or test the waste in making this determination.

Analysis using the "Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)" show that electronic equipment containing printed circuit boards or a cathode ray tube (CRT) (i.e.: computers, monitors, peripherals, etc.) exhibit the characteristic of toxicity for lead and have an EPA hazardous waste number of D008 under 40 CFR 261.24 and thus meet the determination of hazardous waste under 40 CFR 261.3.

Electronic equipment can be classified as "Special Waste" if it is processed by a licensed electronic equipment recycler. The generator benefits from the substantial difference in handling requirements between special wastes and hazardous wastes.

Electronic equipment is subject to all the rules and regulations used to manage other hazardous wastes if it is not recycled.

Green Lights Recycling, Inc. accepts a wide variety of electronics including, but not limited to:

Monitors ,Hard Drives, Keyboards, Main Frames, Televisions, Radios, Copy Machines, Copiers, UPS Machines, and Printers. Call Green Lights Recycling, Inc. for price quote.