HP recently demonstrated its recycling process for CNET News.com during a tour of its plant. Humans used to handle the entire recycling process, but they've been largely replaced by a series of giant recycling machines, which crush and separate the remains of computers and printers that come into the plant. A group of workers clad in safety gear first pulls out parts that might contain toxic materials, such as batteries and toner cartridges. Then printers, desktops and monitors are fed through a series of machines that smashes them to bits. Precious metals are sifted out and shuttled away to the smelting operations of HP recycling partner Noranda, where they are melted and shaped into pure copper products and gold bars. HP said it doesn't stand to make much money from the precious metals. In fact, the company aims to make its entire recycling programme a break-even operation. A standard moving-size box of precious metals extracted from the machines contains just $2,000 worth of precious metal. In addition, the company extracts a small amount of steel that is eventually fashioned into building materials such as beams or rebar by HP's recycling partners. Most of the machines processed at the facility come from HP's internal operations, but the company's consumer-oriented recycling programme has become more popular recently, as people learn more about the potentially toxic waste generated by the products. Through HP's Planet Partners programme, people can arrange to have their old printers and computers picked up at their door if they pay the $17 (£10.20) to $31 to cover the cost of transporting and recycling their machines. In return, they receive a coupon for up to $50 they can put toward the purchase of an HP product. The company also will pick up computers and printers made by other companies; about half of the machines processed through the consumer recycling programme do not originate at HP. HP operates a similar plant in Nashville and plans to open another one in Ontario. Other computer makers have jumped onto the computer-recycling bandwagon. In May, Gateway launched a corporate recycling programme. And in March, Dell began to offer at-home recycling pickup. "There's a huge demand out there for recycling," Altobell said. HP has begun to redesign machines to make them easier to recycle. For example, the company has abandoned its hard-to-recycle glued-on labels that used to adhere to its toner cartridges. "An industry model"
The programme also has received kudos from environmental activists. In a report issued last week, the SVTC praised HP's programme while criticising Dell's partnership with UNICOR, which employs inmates at Atwater prison to disassemble the machines, sometimes requiring them to smash the machines by hand. The report compared the programme to a "Dickensian world of prisoners condemned to dangerous work for little pay under backward conditions." Lawrence Novicky, general manager of UNICOR's recycling business group, dismissed the report, saying it distorted facts and lacks scientific evidence. In a letter to the SVTC, Novicky said the programme helps to recycle millions of computers. "We are doing our part for two noble causes: recycling and rehabilitation," he wrote. The report, meanwhile, praised HP's programme, saying it reduced worker risk by using a mechanised system and provided "an industry model that sets standards for factory prototype, worker health and safety, and provides examples for efficient recycling systems." Nevertheless, HP representatives worry that the California bill would force them to expand the model so significantly that it would turn them into a mini-United Parcel Service, requiring them to drive trucks all over the state to pick up machines. They argue that the pickup programme, in industry parlance, is not scalable. Instead, they would like to cooperate more with local governments, which already conduct curbside pickup of other recyclables. Last year, Governor Davis vetoed a similar bill, but he has indicated that he would like to see a recycling law this year. Lawmakers will grapple with the concerns of both sides on Monday.
See the Hardware News Section for the latest update on everything from MP3 players and PDAs to supercomputing.
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.
