Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Management of Old Electronic Equipment From
Business, Government, Institutions and Industry

End-of-life electronic equipment, like personal computers, from non-residential sources such as schools, small and large businesses, industry and public agencies are subject to stricter management requirements than those from households.  Colorado regulations prohibit all non-residential sources from disposing of ANY hazardous waste in solid waste landfills in the state.  Therefore, color monitors and televisions, CPUs, keyboards, printers, VCRs and other end-of-life electronic equipment from your business, government agency, or school can no longer be accepted for disposal at municipal solid waste landfills.  You may send this equipment to a legitimate electronics recycler for reuse, refurbishing or disassembly for materials recovery (collectively referred to as "recycling"), or you must dispose of these wastes at a permitted hazardous waste disposal facility.

Recycling

Your facility can benefit from sending your used electronic equipment to a legitimate electronics recycler.  If your facility determines that a piece of equipment is no longer wanted and the decision is made to send it for disposal, you become the generator of a hazardous waste.   As a result, you are responsible for meeting all of the applicable requirements for hazardous waste generators.  Hazardous waste is not allowed to be disposed of in solid waste landfills located in this state, so you will be responsible for locating a hazardous waste disposal facility that can accept this waste.

If you send your end-of-life electronic equipment to a legitimate electronics recycler, however, the recycler is the one that determines what equipment can be reused, refurbished, disassembled for materials recovery, or disposed.  Therefore, the decision on what can still be regarded as a product versus a waste is made by the recycler, and the recycler is the generator of any wastes generated as a result of this process.  

Resale.  Working electronic devices may still have life left in them, especially from businesses that need to stay at the leading edge of technology.  Non-working or older items may also have value for parts that could be used to repair other systems.  Several firms in Colorado buy and sell used computers and other electronic equipment. 

Donations.  Schools, non-profits and some charitable organizations may accept newer working computers and peripherals for direct re-use.  Some of these facilities also have the capability to refurbish systems for donation to individuals in need or for resale.  Donations to these facilities may be tax-deductible.  Take care, however, not to attempt to "dump" your old, unusable equipment on these entities in an effort to avoid your own waste management responsibilities.

Electronics Recyclers.  Several businesses in Colorado and throughout the nation specialize in recycling old electronic equipment from many sources.  Most charge a fee for their services.  To assist you in selecting a recycler and make you feel comfortable that they will manage your end-of-life electronic equipment in a manner to reduce your environmental liability, you may want to use the list of suggested questions for non-residential facilities to ask recyclers regarding how they manage end-of-life computers.

Manufacturer's Recycling Programs.  Several major manufacturers of computers and other electronics offer their business customers recycling and take-back alternatives for their products.  Most of the manufacturers will recycle any brand of computer.  The offers have significant differences in cost and arrangements, so be sure you "read the fine print" and confirm that your equipment is accepted.  Some equipment suppliers may act as agents for computer manufacturers' trade-in/upgrade programs, so check with your supplier  before purchasing a new computer to see if they will accept your old one in return. 
 

Prevent and Reduce Electronics Waste in the First Place

Pre-cycling

There are alternatives to managing your organization's electronic equipment that start when purchasing new equipment.  Plan ahead for sound environmental management for end-of-life electronics.

Lease equipment.  Users do not assume ownership of the product in a lease arrangement.  When it's time to upgrade to a newer product, the old unit is returned to the vendor, often for a credit toward a future purchase.  When acquiring new computer equipment, ask about lease options and what the vendor does with used equipment.  Vendors often access computer manufacturer take-back and recycling programs.

Identify durable goods.  When purchasing electronic equipment for your organization, review the product's repair history and reliability ratings.  Your facility is less likely to replace equipment that is working well.

Repair instead of replace.  Repairing electronic equipment may be less expensive than replacing it.  

Buy upgradeable equipment.  Some products can be upgraded by replacing a single component instead of the entire unit.  This saves money and reduces waste.

Require dealer or manufacturer take-back up front.  In the purchasing phase, require the vendor to take back equipment after an agreed-upon time period as part of the terms of the purchase contract.  Ask your vendor or manufacturer about programs to accept old equipment for resale or recycling.

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing of Electronics

In the long run, your organization will save money by making your electronic equipment purchases "environmentally preferable."  Environmentally preferable purchasing includes looking at life cycle costs, hazardous components, using eco-labels and more.  

Life cycle costs include not only the initial cost to purchase or lease the equipment, but also how much it costs to operate over its useful life (energy costs, repair costs, supply costs, etc.) and what it costs to recycle or dispose at the end.  

Reducing the amount of hazardous components used to make the equipment may make it less expensive for you to recycle or dispose of it and be safer for the environment overall.  

Eco-labels are a way of communicating that a piece of equipment meets certain standards in manufacturing, emissions, ergonomics, energy usage, work practices, etc.  For example, most people are familiar now with the Energy Star label, which shows that the equipment or appliance meets US EPA's standards for energy consumption and energy management.  There are many eco-labels in use internationally, though there are some efforts to coordinate what these labels stand for.  

Another way to ensure that your electronics purchases are environmentally preferable is to seek equipment from manufacturers that are ISO certified.  ISO is an international technical standards organization that help make the development, manufacturing and supply of products safer and cleaner.  Most ISO standards are very industry-specific, but ISO has also developed broad-ranging standards that apply to environmental issues regardless of the type of industry.
 

Resources

Questions for a Non-residential Facility to Ask a Recycler or Broker of Unwanted Electronic Equipment

Sample Language to "Green" Computer Procurement

Additional Resources for Greening Your Electronics Purchase

Email questions to comments.hmwmd@state.co.us or call the Customer Technical Assistance Line at 303-692-3320 (1-888-569-1831 ext. 3320 toll-free)