NEWS & MEDIA | Lance Jenkinson Pictured in The Greenville News Article...

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Lance Jenkinson helped facilitate "Operation Reboot" by teaching help desk staff more efficient ways to refurbish the computers selected to be donated to local charities. Picturing Lance Jenkinson, below is the front page article written about Furman's contribution to help lessen the "e-trash" problem.

Effort Booting Up To Rescue Discarded Computers
The Greenville News, Greenville SC
December 5, 2003

By Paul Alongi
Staff Photo by Owen Riley Jr.

(Left) Lance Jenkinson and Kyra Cox take apart a discarded computer to prepare it for its new life at a local charity.

E-trash piles growing in state, nation

GREENVILLE, SC - A computer bought today may download files in a flash and hold tons of data, but in five years, it could be hazardous waste.

Thousands of computers every year are ending up in the state's trash heaps, even though they could be reused or recycled. The machines contain lead, mercury and other materials that can, in the worst case, poison groundwater.

The nationwide problem of "e-waste" is growing as Americans buy newer, faster computers to keep up with the rapid pace of technology. Up to 315 million computers could find their way to landfills by 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Part of the solution could lie in places like the basement of Furman University's Plyler Hall. In a room stacked about 5 feet high with computer parts, students and volunteers refurbish old machines so they can find new life at charities and schools.

"It's a really good thing to do because the machines were going to be thrown out anyway," student Kyra Cox said. "If we can't do anything with them, it's really great to give them to people that need them."

New ideas for recycling computers are emerging, but they could cost consumers time or money.

A bill before the state Legislature would take $5 onto the purchase price of computers and use the money to start recycling programs. Also for a fee, private companies and some computer manufacturers will recycle discarded machines.

Another option is donating computers to nonprofit agencies. But computer users in the Greenville area are on their own to find agencies that want the machines.

Even recycling can pose hazards. Computers often contain personal information, such as Social Security and checking account numbers, that can lead to identity theft.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said donors should reinstall operating systems before giving away their computers.

"You really want to wipe it clean," he said.

About half of the 1.5 million electronics thrown away in the state every year are computers, said Ted Campbell, a recycling market developer for the state Department of Commerce. Other E-waste includes old stereos, cell phones and VCRs.

Electronics that can't be reused can be harvested for aluminum, copper, plastic and steel.

"It's pretty impressive how much revenue it generates," Campbell said.

The University of South Carolina, working with a private contractor, receives nearly two cents a pound by recycling scrap electronics, said purchasing director Scott Reynolds. This year alone, the university has discarded 100 tons, he said.

"We don't want to be filling up landfills with this stuff," he said.

About 11 percent of computers were recycled in 2001, according to the EPA, and more than 3.2 million tons of 3-waste ends up in landfills every year.

Residents who live in the city of Greenville can throw away their computers, although it isn't recommended, said recycling coordinator Alysen Woodruff.

"It's one more thing -- a bulky item at that -- that doesn't have to be there," she said.

County residents can throw away their hard drives, keyboards and other components, but monitors are off limits, said Vickie Williams, county recycling coordinator.

Monitors have cathode ray tubes, which contain lead, according to the EPA. The state treats them as hazardous waste.

Milton Morris, assistant professor of environmental health science at Benedict College, said exposure to lead can cause neurological and cardiovascular problems.

"Young children are most at risk," he said.

Computers, especially older models, also contain chromium, cadmium, zinc and flame-retardant materials.

Williams said a plastic liner under landfills should prevent chemicals from seeping into the groundwater.

"The chances are very, very slim," she said.

At Furman, any computer that can't be salvaged for charity is recycled by a private company, said Susan Dunnavant, who helped coordinate "Operation Reboot."

"You can't change the world," Dunnavant said while standing in a room filled with old computers. "But by George, you don't have to throw away every one of these away if someone can use them."

[The Greenville News can be reached at (864) 298-4100 (www.GreenvilleOnline.com)]

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