Solid Waste in New England

Electronic Waste and eCycling

Electronic, or e-waste, refers to electronic products that are discarded by consumers. These include a wide range of items, such as:

• televisions and computer monitors
• computers and computer peripherals (e.g., monitors and keyboards)
• audio and stereo equipment
• VCRs and DVD players
• video cameras
• telephones, cellular phones and other wireless devices
• fax and copy machines
• video game consoles

While various reports estimate that electronic waste is less than 4% of the total solid waste stream in the United States (eCycling FAQs), electronic waste is growing 2-3 times faster than any other waste stream (i.e. paper, yard waste). In 1998, of the 20 million computers taken out of service, only 2.3 million (slightly more than 10%), were recycled or eCycled. And most of those were from large businesses and institutions.

Between 2000 and 2007, as many as 500 million personal computers will become obsolete and enter the municipal solid waste stream. In response, both Massachusetts and Maine have passed laws regulating e-waste management. In 2003, more than 330 New England municipalities had e-cycling programs - approximately 90% of these were located in Massachusetts (National Electronics Recycling Program data )

For more information on electronic waste reuse and recycling in New England:

• Reuse, Donate & Recycle Organizations
• State and Regional Information

If you have questions about Electronic Waste, please contact:
Christine Beling (beling.christine@epa.gov)
EPA New England (SPP)
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone: (617) 918-1792