Editorial: A computer wasteland

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006 | 7:28 a.m.

Las Vegas Valley residents, it seems, are producing piles of high-tech trash that potentially are packed with toxic pollutants.

According to a story by the Las Vegas Sun on Wednesday, worn-out computers, televisions and other electronics typically contain such substances as lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic and mercury.

These electronics are especially worrisome, officials told the Sun, when dumped out in the desert where they become convenient for target practice. But even when discarded in landfills, experts said, the chemicals have the potential of fouling the soil or ground water.

Recycling materials from these components - the plastics, glass and metals - is big business in such places as California, where a fee of $6 to $10 is attached to the sale of new electronics. The fee helps pay for gathering up the old components and recycling them, the Sun reports. Last year the program resulted in collection of more than 30,000 tons of recyclable electronics.

Dell and other electronics companies have opposed such programs, saying it is the responsibility of electronics manufacturers to collect and pay for the recycling of their companies' old components. Customers shouldn't have to pay for it, a Dell official told the Sun. Dell has a recycling program for its products.

Still, given the option of paying an extra $6 at the time of purchase or having to figure out where and how to return old components to their original manufacturers a couple of years down the line, many consumers probably would opt for forking over a few extra dollars at purchase time.

Electronics recycling already is being done on a smaller scale in the Las Vegas Valley at the Blind Center of Nevada, where a recycling program employs half a dozen people and resulted in the collection of about 80 tons of discarded computers and other electronic equipment last year.

As a community, we can do better. State lawmakers and industry leaders should examine such programs as California's and find ways to expand such efforts in Nevada. What is key is making such recycling a priority and making it as convenient as possible for the consumer.