It Technology Essays (4770 words) - Dielectrics, Computer Recycling

It Technology 1.0 INTRODUCTION A quote from a PC World magazine on The Digital Future said, in the future, people will live twice as long, computers will die twice as fast 1. As computer technology continues to accelerate at an unprecedented rate, information technology (IT) equipment waste is becoming an increasingly significant portion of the solid waste stream. Information Technology equipment waste is receiving increased attention for the following reasons: ? Rapid advances in technology result in IT equipment becoming obsolete at an increasingly rapid pace. This is resulting in an increase in the rate and quantity of IT equipment entering the waste stream; ? A piece of IT equipment was, or is typically of high value, both in terms of its component parts and the equipment itself; ? IT equipment commonly contains toxic materials, which are hazardous if not managed properly. This project provides a broad overview of how such products are handled and to estimate the amounts of these products and materials that will enter the waste stream in the next few years. The specific waste streams addressed include: ? personal computers, ? monitors, ? laptop computers, ? peripherals (e.g., printers, scanners), 2.0 WASTE ESTIMATES FOR IT EQUIPMENT This section will address the generation and flow of computer equipment waste from both residential and IC&I sources in Canada. The types of computer equipment addressed in this project and discussed in this section include: - Computers (personal computers, servers); - Monitors; - Laptop computers; - Printers; - Note-pads/note-books, and; - Peripherals (scanners, modems, keyboards etc.). The flow of computer equipment in the solid waste stream will require increasing attention in the future for the following reasons: - The decreasing lifespan of IT products and their increasing annual sales, resulting in greater discards of computer equipment waste on an annual basis; - The mixed composition of computer equipment (i.e., metals, plastics, glass), which makes dismantling and recycling challenging; - The presence of hazardous materials; and, - The life cycle ecological burden represented by waste IT equipment. Computer equipment can become obsolete as a result of technological advancements, for example: - Increasing micro processing speed from 80386 to 80486 to Pentium I, II and now III generation systems; - Increasing memory capacity to support faster microprocessors and expanded storage requirements; - Internet developments that cannot be accessed using older systems; - New and expanding operating systems and software that cannot run on older systems; - Advancements in color, resolution and technology for monitors (i.e., flat panel monitors); - Increasing speed and color performance for laser and ink-jet printers, and - Merging technologies such as all-in-one equipment, with faxing, printing and scanning capabilities provided in one unit. These factors have reduced both the average first life and total lifespan of computer equipment where first life refers to the amount of time a product is useful to its original owner and total lifespan is the period from manufacture to disposal 2. Computer equipment sales are projected to continue to grow as a result of decreasing lifespan and the increased use of computers in businesses, institutions and at home. The largest growth in computer sales is into the residential market. In 1998 there were 1.9 million computers installed in Canadian homes and in 2000, there were 2.2 million an increase of 16%. In the education sector, installed computers increased by 9% in 1999, to 1.4 million. Installed computers in the business sector increased from 6.2 million in 1999 to 7.0 million in 2000 an increase of 13% 3. Figure 2-1 presents a simplified schematic of the lifespan of computer equipment from point of sale, through use, to end of first life, to diversion (reuse and recycling) and to disposal. 3.0 IT Waste Generation Each year millions of new computers, monitors, laptops and peripherals are sold into the Canadian marketplace. Some of these sales represent new customers(Businesses, Institutions, Homes, Government offices) who are purchasing computer equipment for the first time, while the majority are those that are replacing old or out dated equipment found in residential, commercial and institutional settings. The obsolete equipment is typically 3-5 years old 4 and, while often still usable (i.e., not broken), it no longer meets the needs of the user. The point at which a computer becomes obsolete is also referred to as the end of the equipments first life. Obsolete computer equipment will be directed to one of four destinations/outlets: 1) Storage, 2) Reuse, 3) Recycling, 4) Disposal. (as shown in figure below) Storage: In many instances, discarded computer