3900 Main Street • Riverside,
CA 92522 • 951-826-5311
Electronic waste represents one of
the fastest growing and hazardous components of California's waste
stream.
Hazardous Electronics are those with cathode
ray tubes (CRTs) like televisions and computer monitors.
The California integrated Waste Management Board
estimates that California households have 6 million obsolete computer
monitors and television sets stockpiled in their homes. Additionally,
the National Safety Council estimates that 10,000 computers and televisions
become obsolete in California every day.
Due to the presence of toxic lead and other hazardous
or potentially hazardous materials in electronic waste this waste poses
a threat to public health and the environment when improperly discarded.
A typical CRT contains between two and five pounds
of lead. If products containing lead are disposed in the trash,
the lead can potentially contaminate the soil and our water supplies.
On August 3, 2001, regulations developed by
the California Environmental Protection Agency and Department of
Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) went into effect. The regulations
prohibit the disposal of CRTs to the trash and municipal landfills.
