E-Waste Reduction Requires Innovative Approaches

One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century — especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions.

These appliances depend on hazardous materials, such as mercury, to operate. After a 5-8-year life, many are tossed into dumpsters and sent to landfills where those hazardous materials can leach into the soil and groundwater.

That was the opening paragraph of a column I wrote 20 years ago. However, today the problem is much larger, more complex and presents greater dangers to public health and our environment.

It worsens when...