ot: When ‘Refurbished’ Takes on an Earth-Friendly Vibe - comput er ecology

[Guest guest]

Not only might folks save money, but shifting towards refurbished items -

including computers - may (somewhat) decrease the rate at which toxins of

concern to all of us are freed into the environment in ways that make

their entry into the human body more efficient.

- - - -

" Like many other consumers, Mr. Seltzer is concerned about the

environmental effects of computers, which can contain hazardous substances

including lead, cadmium and mercury, among others.

" Hazards occur when these substances are extracted from the earth and, on

the other end, when they are disposed of. At either end, toxic substances

can find their way into the air, soil, water and eventually into people,

where they have the potential to cause serious health problems. "

- - - -

December 31, 2006

When ‘Refurbished’ Takes on an Earth-Friendly Vibe

By BARRY REHFELD

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/business/yourmoney/31green.html

JARED SELTZER faced more than the usual megabyte headaches recently while

shopping for a desktop computer for his office in Takoma Park, Md. As the

information technology director of the Center for a New American Dream, a

small environmental group, he wanted to buy a computer that would be

relatively easy on the ecosystem.

His search brought him to the Dell Web site, where he chose an OptiPlex

model that had been refurbished.

“I wasn’t losing anything by not buying new,” Mr. Seltzer said. “And it

was good that I was being true to what we’re about.”

Refurbished computers, he explained, are not generally made from old

clunkers on their last legs. They are typically returned by buyers shortly

after delivery and spruced up by the manufacturer. And they often have the

same guarantees that new computers do.

Like many other consumers, Mr. Seltzer is concerned about the

environmental effects of computers, which can contain hazardous substances

including lead, cadmium and mercury, among others.

Hazards occur when these substances are extracted from the earth and, on

the other end, when they are disposed of. At either end, toxic substances

can find their way into the air, soil, water and eventually into people,

where they have the potential to cause serious health problems.

Refurbished computers lessen the blow to the environment because they have

effectively been recycled, albeit at warp speed. They can also be easier

on the bank account. Mr. Seltzer’s desktop cost him $379 — less than half

the $800 price of a new one.

Lynn Rubinstein, executive director of the Northeast Recycling Council in

Brattleboro, Vt., faced a similar challenge when she needed to replace her

personal laptop in October. She could not find a refurbished model to fit

her needs, so she consulted the Electronic Product Environmental

Assessment Tool, or Epeat, an electronics rating system available free at

http://www.epeat.net

The system, now five months old, is funded by the Environmental Protection

Agency and is meant primarily for bulk buyers. But it is useful for

individuals, too. Electronics — only computers now, with more products to

follow — can be achieve ratings of gold, silver or bronze.

Ratings are done largely on the honor system, subject to reviews by the

Green Electronics Council, a nonprofit group in Portland, Ore., that

maintains the list. Manufacturers score their products against a set of

environmental standards, including levels of hazardous substances, energy

efficiency and ease of recycling. There are 23 requirements just to win a

bronze.

More than 300 types of desktops, laptops and monitors have received at

least a bronze, and most also have a silver rating, which means that they

also meet at least half of 28 optional standards. None of the computers

have it to gold, which means that they would meet all the required

standards as well as three-quarters of the optional ones.

An NEC monitor made from a corn-based plastic has the top score: 42, just

two points shy of the gold standard. Dell, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard

and Lenovo all have at least one desktop and laptop that qualify for

silver.

Epeat-rated computers are likely to save buyers money on their electric

bills. The E.P.A. estimates that 600,000 megawatts of energy, as well as

13 million pounds of hazardous waste, will be saved over the next five

years by the purchase of Epeat-rated computers.

“It was enough for me just to get one that made the list at any level,”

said Ms. Rubinstein, who chose a Dell Latitude computer that had a bronze

rating. She paid the same price as she would have for a comparable laptop

without an Epeat rating, but the Latitude was listed as having

significantly lower levels of hazardous substances.

Consumers seeking new environmentally sound computers may also want to

consider keeping their existing ones just a while longer, said Diganta

Das, a research scientist at the Center for Advanced Life Cycle

Engineering at the University of land in College Park. There will be a

much broader selection of greener computers and other electronics by 2008

because all manufacturers are under pressure to make their products meet

hazardous-substance standards that are as high or higher than those of

Epeat, he said.

The push is coming from new technology and government initiatives. The

most important political change came in July, when the European Union

issued its Restrictions on Hazardous Substances. The RoHS directive

essentially will require all manufacturers and retailers selling their

products in the European Union to greatly reduce the presence of six

hazards.

There is nothing like those standards in the United States, but the

directive is nonetheless having an impact here. Wal-Mart Stores, for

example, said last spring that it would sell the first laptop compliant

with the European standards in the United States: a $700 Toshiba model.

Other computer makers are quickly following suit.

CONCERNS about the environment don’t end once a computer has been bought.

Consumers also need to consider what to do with their computers when it

comes time to retire them.

According to the National Safety Council, three-quarters of all existing

computers are sitting in closets and other places where they are no longer

being used. Besides the closet option, there are two other main solutions:

disposal and recycling.

Disposal, however, is the hardest on the environment. In May, New

Hampshire became the fourth state — after California, Massachusetts and

Maine — to ban the disposal of all video display devices from landfills

and incinerators. Two months later, Minnesota passed a law prohibiting the

disposal of monitors in the trash.

As for the recycling option, many localities offer programs. But the best

recycling route may be the one back to the source: Many manufacturers now

take back old computers free, and some of their parts can be reused.

*

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