Conrad MacKerron

A year from today, tens of millions of televisions may instantly become obsolete. When the nation's television spectrum switches from the analogue we're currently using to the digital spectrum of the future, all of our existing analogue televisions will go dark. Fortunately, there is a low-cost converter available to allow consumers to continue to use their existing sets but it's a fair bet millions of people will decide to upgrade anyway.

What will happen to the old TVs pushed aside by the shiny new mega-screen units? Most will be stuffed into closets or sent to backup duty in another part of the house. Old or broken ones will be parked on the curb or tossed into dumpsters. Since old TVs are loaded with harmful lead that can spill out of broken cathode ray tubes (CRT), several states have banned road side disposal of CRT monitors and TVs. About 10 states have programmes to recycle electronic waste, but many lack the infrastructure to provide convenient drop-off locations sufficient to attract large numbers of consumers.

Even though nearly one-third of the US is now covered by state e-waste recycling laws, almost 90 per cent of e-waste – whether computers, iPods or TVs – is still ending up in landfills or getting exported to other countries, according to research conducted by GreenBiz.com for its report, The State of Green Business 2008.

What has proven to draw meaningful consumer response, is recycling events staged at retail centres that are far more likely to be convenient, familiar places for people to recycle. A recent take back event at the Mall of America had to be shut down early due to a massive traffic jam caused by 5,000 people in cars dropping off electronic waste. More than 1 million lbs of old TVs and computers were collected.

The other concern is that recyclers not associated with a major brand are under no particular pressure to ensure that the equipment they collect is responsibly recycled. There is nothing to prevent a group collecting waste from selling it to brokers who ship it to developing countries where it is disassembled by desperately poor people under dangerous conditions that threaten human health and the environment. Because states do not have authority over foreign trade, hazardous waste export bans are not an enforceable part of state e-waste laws.

A better way is for electronics retailers and leading brands like Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Samsung and LG Electronics who dominate electronics manufacturing to work together to develop a model electronics take back and recycling system utilising stores, parking lots or nearby areas for full-time take back operations. A full-time service avoids a mad dash to the store on the one weekend per year when a free recycling event is held. Depositing e-waste into a waste stream sponsored by major retailers should ensure it is recycled in a reputable manner by a responsible recycler. If not, the brand can be held accountable.

As You Sow has had considerable success working with other shareholders to get major computer manufacturers to adopt take back systems. Apple, Dell and HP have all improved their computer take back operations, developing aggressive take back goals and offering free or incentive-based take back. The systems collected are passed on to downstream waste managers hired by the brands who can be monitored to ensure responsible disposal.

To its credit, Sony USA recently launched a free take back system for all of its products. This is a good start but Sony is still building a credible take back infrastructure; most people will have to travel long distances to the nearest Sony take-back centre.

There is a window of opportunity to engage retailers to encourage them to make set top converters more widely available for people who don't want to buy a new set next February, and to develop adequate infrastructure for responsible disposal of tens of millions of TV sets people will likely discard as the digital deadline approaches.

As You Sow has filed a shareholder proposal with Best Buy, the nation's largest electronics retailer, asking the company to partner with major manufacturers whose brands it sells to develop a workable, convenient collection system for consumers. Similar efforts can be pressed at the other top retailers of electronics – Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Target and Radio Shack. As computer makers have moved from shunning responsibility for recycling their products to accepting it, so too will TV manufacturers have to ultimately shoulder some financial responsibility for take back and disposal.

Producer responsibility is emerging as an essential component of a credible corporate environmental policy. For decades manufacturers have been allowed to externalise the cost of waste disposal onto government but this cannot continue.

There is a silver lining for companies that embrace their responsibility as a challenge – like HP and Dell have done – rather than as a hassle they seek to avoid. Proactive companies can often finance take-back costs from the value of precious metals embedded in their products. Some recycling firms will pay for old cell phones and laptops. When the value of avoided mining, drilling and processing costs for plastic and metals for new products is factored in, recycling promotes source reduction and creates real economic value. In an age of dwindling natural resources and calls for shrinking carbon footprints, mining our own waste is smart business.

Conrad MacKerron is Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program at As You Sow Foundation, which uses dialogue and shareholder advocacy to promote better social and environmental policies at publicly traded companies.

He is author of Business in the Rainforests: Corporations, Deforestation and Sustainability and former Washington Bureau Chief for Chemical Week.

This article first appeared at Greenbiz.com