July 1, 2004
OUR COUNTY
D. GARY DAVIS
BRADLEY COUNTY MAYOR
Hazardous electronic waste (e-waste), mostly old cell phones, is increasingly becoming
an issue here in Bradley County as more and more of these items find their way into our
county landfill.
The problem is not limited to Bradley County. Across the country thousands of old cell
phones are thrown away every day. That’s a serious threat to human health and our
environment, and it’s important that we begin to provide an alternative.
Two studies – one from the University of Florida’s Solid and Hazardous Waste
Engineering Program, the other from the California Environmental Protection Agency’s
Department of Toxic Substances Control – recently confirmed that discarded cell phones
should be managed as hazardous waste.
The University of Florida study tested 43 cell phones and found that the average
composition, not including the battery, contained 45 percent plastic, 40 percent printed
wiring or circuit board, 4 percent liquid crystal display (LCD), 3 percent magnesium
plate, and 8 percent metal. Among the toxic substances recorded were lead, brominated
flame-retardants, cadmium, and beryllium. In both studies, rechargeable cell phone
batteries were found to have toxic levels of lead and cadmium.
As a nation we dump e-waste in our landfills at alarming rates or send it offshore to
developing nations, neither of which is a solution to the problem.
The problem of e-waste gradually developed over the past decade as more and more
people obtained cell phones and later upgraded their technology. Typically, individuals
change cell phones every 18 months to three years, creating a massive volume of
hazardous waste.
Four states have banned e-waste from landfills: California, Massachusetts, Maine, and
Minnesota. Rhode Island is considering a bill, and many municipalities also are passing
landfill bans. In May, South Dakota’s largest landfill, the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary
Landfill, passed an electronics ban. The facility is giving its haulers a three-month grace
period and educating the public about e-cycling.
The Tennessee General Assembly has not yet addressed the issue in our state, but it is my
prediction that they will soon be debating it.
In the meantime, Bradley County is voluntarily doing its part to recycle old cell phones.
As these devices are replaced throughout county government, my office collects them for
recycling.
More and more collection sites are being set up throughout the country. Most recently,
the nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. (RBRC), Atlanta, established the
first national program for recycling cell phones and their batteries. On Earth Day in
April, RBRC introduced Call2Recycle, which collects the items at some 30,000 locations
nationwide, including partner retail establishments such as Home Depot and Radio
Shack.
It is crucial to educate the public that cell phones and their batteries are hazardous but
easy to recycle. A survey of 1,000 American adults conducted by RBRC showed that 70
percent were unaware that cell phones could be recycled. Promotion and education are
the keys to changing this statistic.