Economic and Financial Issues Associated with End-of-Life Electronic Waste Solid Waste Advisory Committee Meeting October 29, 2004

Economic Analysis Today’s Objective: Discuss the role of economic analysis under ESHB 2488 The Role of Economics –Establish Criteria –Review of Program Costs/Efficiency –Financing –Existing Infrastructure/Jobs

Criteria to Evaluate Program Alternatives “Full” cost-benefit analysis -internal vs. external costs -efficiencyEquity/Fairness-stakeholders -within/across generations

End-of-Life Options for E-Waste Increased concern about impacts of waste electronics volume/toxicity Worldwide approaches have varied Federal action –CRT’s designated as hazardous waste –Proposed CRT Rule Many existing programs to evaluate Three broad EoL categories: disposal, re- use and recycling

Disposal CRT glass is listed as a hazardous waste under RCRA Nonresidential customers disposing of large quantities of monitors are subject to dangerous waste regulations Businesses that use small quantities and all households are exempt from RCRA requirements Other states have taken variable approaches -CA treats all CRT’s as hazardous waste -Some treat it as universal waste Several local governments have banned in it landfills (e.g. Snohomish, King, Kitsap) But some are still landfilling (data from 2002)

Re-use Some machines can be re-used Some organizations clean-up machines and pass them along to schools Some components can be re-used Working monitors can be shipped overseas Small local market Large international market

Recycling Recycling is a viable option Computer disassembly can provide raw materials and reduce waste Programs vary significantly Programs can be public, private or public- private Examples -Snohomish Co., Bellevue, SWICO, Maine, California and many others

Recycling Program Costs Alternatives vary significantly in terms of private costs Landfilling as MSW is likely cheapest from private cost standpoint However, increased risk of environmental release If classified as hazardous waste, recycling may be a good business (private cost) decision Recycling may have environmental concerns: PBDE, emissions

Costs/Revenues from Recycling Recycling involves program development, administration, demanufacturing and disposal Costs range from $200/ton to $1,000/ton from publicly available information CPUs can be recycled at a profit Monitors/TVs probably not, but an export market exists for high end products

Financing E-waste Programs Financing should: –Generate sufficient revenue –Allocate costs –Provide incentives End-of-Life fees are the typical approach Up-front financing –Visible vs. invisible –EPR Combined approaches

Future Work Agenda Data on current E-waste management practices Data on other existing programs Evaluate alternatives for cost- effectiveness Consider existing collectors, sorters, processors, next level Are they adequate-If not, what? What will be the impact on jobs?

Contact Information Dave Reich (360)