Nick Galvin looks at why it's not easy being green when it comes to computers.
Today's shiny new computer is tomorrow's worthless piece of junk. Leaps in processing power and storage capacity, plus the endless parade of new software, mean the average lifespan of a PC is getting ever shorter - or at least that is what the manufacturers would have us believe.
It's unlikely that when you're buying a PC you'll be giving much thought to how you'll get rid of it, but each new computer comes with a potential environmental nightmare that deserves careful consideration.
Getting a handle on just how many computers and associated devices are being added to Australia's mountain of "e-waste" is not easy. According to research firm Gartner, there are about 11.4 million computers in Australia. It's likely that all of these will be replaced - most within the next two to three years - adding to the existing pile of CPUs, monitors, keyboards and other tech junk. Many will join the estimated 1.6 million computers that end up in landfill every year. Others will be stored.
Jon Dee, of environmental pressure group Planet Ark (www.recyclingnearyou.com.au), says computers are moved to garages and under houses when they reach the end of their life.
"People are reluctant to throw away something that has been so expensive," he says.
Mr Dee estimates that there could be up to 23 million computers gathering dust around the country, figures that are higher than most other sources (some put the number as low as 5 million), but there's little doubt that there are many machines out there that could end up in landfill unless a more creative solution is found.
Why does it matter?
You only need to peek inside a computer to understand why burying the problem is not smart.
The average machine is an extraordinary cocktail of compounds, many of which are toxic and long-lasting if they leach into the environment.
Compounds include heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and beryllium. Each computer monitor has an average of between two and four kilograms of lead. Other metals used include copper, aluminium, gold, silver and tin, and there are generally three types of plastic used. This mix of toxins is so potent that old computers are defined as hazardous waste under Australian law and must be disposed of accordingly.
Responsible users need to consider how to dispose of unwanted machines, but solutions are far from clear. Following the environmentalists' mantra of "reduce, reuse, recycle", there are three possible approaches to correctly dealing with your old machine.
It's worth asking yourself whether you really need a new PC or will your existing gear do the job for another year or more? Reducing the number of computers you buy by one or two will help tackle the e-waste problem.
Of course, this is the last thing the hardware and software vendors want. Their marketing strategies are built around persuading consumers to upgrade early and upgrade often. Shortening the time between buying a computer and discarding it in favour of a better model is one of the main drivers of the IT industry. This is especially true in a market like Australia where by world standards, the level of PC ownership is already high and first-time buyers are rare.
Consider why a machine has to be replaced. Is it because you are running out of storage space?
An easy solution to this is one of the many external hard drives now on the market. Prices have tumbled to less than $2 a gigabyte and often less than $1.50.
A RAM upgrade is also a cost-effective way to boost your computer's performance. If you're handy with a screwdriver and not squeamish about poking around the computer's innards, upgrading RAM is something you can do.
Or hand the task over to your local computer store.
More complex upgrades, including replacing the motherboard, processor or graphics card, need to be approached more cautiously. Much depends on the system's compatibility with new parts and may prove to be too expensive to be worthwhile.
Just because a computer is no longer useful to you doesn't mean someone else won't be grateful for it. A recent South Australian study found that 26 per cent of computer users handed outdated machines to another family member.
The spread of broadband means this figure has probably increased, as a household's second or even third computer can connect to the internet at no extra cost. But if the children don't want your old computer in their bedroom, there are some other options for extending its life.
The number of organisations in Victoria refurbishing and reusing computers is surprisingly small, which is perhaps a reflection perhaps of the difficulty of making such a venture cost-effective.
One organisation making it work is Computerbank Victoria (vic.computerbank.org.au). Kylie Davies, Computerbank Victoria president, says it accepts 350 MHz Pentium IIs or better, which are refurbished, loaded with a Linux open source operating system and software, and then donated to disadvantaged people and community groups here and overseas. Machines of a lesser quality are recycled as e-waste.
Computerbank Victoria relies on machines donated by businesses, individuals and community groups, and Ms Davies says memory and 56K dial-up modems are always in short supply. If you have a machine or parts to offer, ring Computerbank Victoria on 9600 9161.
Kangan Batman TAFE's TESA Computer Recycling project in Box Hill is a work for the dole project that restores donated computers to working order for use in schools in low income areas. (kangan.edu.au/wfd/projects/ie_computer.htm).
Project supervisor Peter Martin says the project accepts donations of 400 MHz Pentium II computers or higher from schools and local business. The computers are reconditioned and upgraded and then collected by the Department of Education, which loads them with Windows 98 or higher before distributing them. Call 9890 8570 to donate a machine.
WorkVentures Connect IT (workventures.com.au/ConnectIT) is another group in the business of reusing old computers but doesn't accept donations from individuals, although that is on the cards in the future, according to chief executive Steve Lawrence.
This year the organisation aims to process 8500 computers sourced from Westpac and the NSW Government. Once refurbished and loaded with Windows 98, they are offered for sale to low-income or disadvantaged people. Work Ventures can be contacted on 1800 112 205.
The options for safely and responsibly recycling old computers are limited. Recycling costs money, material recovered only partially offsets costs and someone has to pay. That someone may be the PC's makers, consumers, government or a combination of the three.
At present there appears to be no widespread agreement about who should foot the bill.
Aaron Regan, of Geelong-based PC Graveyard (pcgraveyard.com.au), is only too aware of the financial challenge of recycling.
"There are very few true recyclers in this country," he says.
"All the charities want the newest and latest computers. They call themselves recyclers but they are more re-users. That's the difference: we actually break computers into metals, plastics and circuit boards."
Mr Regan subsidises the recycling side of the operation by repairing systems for computer users on a budget. PC Graveyard was receiving computers from interstate but soon became a victim of its own success.
"It just got too successful," Mr Regan says. "I couldn't afford to sustain it but I would love to go back there again."
PC companies have spent the last three years working with Planet Ark to devise a national recycling plan. But don't hold your breath: it will be at least another 18 months before an agreement is reached.
Planet Ark's Jon Dee defends the length of the process, explaining that the industry wants to get it right.
"We want to make sure that it is sustainable financially, that the money put aside for recycling means the computer is properly recycled and doesn't just give the illusion of being recycled with a whole lot of stuff ending up in landfill," Mr Dee says.
A big headache for companies such as Dell and IBM is the number of unbranded or "orphan" machines. Orphans are the products of companies that no longer exist, such as Gateway, and unbranded or "white-box" computers from the smaller players that account for about half of the computers sold in Australia.
No one wants to take responsibility for recycling white-box machines.
"Why should Apple and IBM and Dell pay to recycle computers (made by) people who have gone bust or left the marketplace?"
Mr Dee says.
Dell has its own recycling scheme, relaunched about three months ago after the previous scheme lost money. For $36, Dell will pick up used computers - their own or from other manufacturers - and pass it on to recycler MRI (www.mri.com.au). However, the scheme has been slow to take off, with only about 500 collected in the first 12 weeks.
Dell admits the scheme is not a 100 per cent solution - only 80 per cent of the material in computer display screens is recycled - but a spokesman says that at least the company has a recycling scheme, unlike many of its competitors.
Meanwhile, Simsmetal (simsmetal.com.au), the Australian arm of multinational recycler the Sims Group, says it recycles 100 per cent of submitted e-waste, processing the material at its Victorian plant or at its specialist facilities in Europe.
In April Simsmetal teamed with CBD Enviro Services (cbdenviro.com.au) to launch a pilot "e-round-up" in Sydney's Hornsby Shire.
"We had special bins made up and put them in four locations around the shire and all the bins filled up within an hour of the launch," says CBD Enviro Services' Karen Wakefield. "We collected 15 tonnes in three weeks."
The program is only a pilot but Ms Wakefield says there has already been interest from other councils and it is likely that it may be taken up by other local authorities.
AT A GLANCE
Used printer and toner cartridges are a big e-waste headache, with as many as 80 per cent of them going into landfill. Planet Ark's cartridge recycling scheme diverts all cartridges collected from landfill sites. For details of a drop-off point near you and other information on the scheme go to planetark.com/cartridges