Greenbytes: June 9, 2004 Edition
In this IssueGreetings from EPA New England. We hope you find this edition of Greenbytes useful and we encourage you to give us feedback. For information on subscribing or unsubscribing see the section at the end of this message.
EPA and Staples Inc. are teaming up on a cutting-edge project to utilize retailers to collect and recycle electronic waste instead of it being disposed of at landfills and other waste facilities. Staples has launched an Electronics Recycling Program for customers at 27 stores across New England. From May 30 through July 11, customers will have a chance to recycle any used computer hardware and business machines, including printers, copiers, scanners and faxes. Staples will then send the collected items to Envirocycle, an electronics recycling company. The program is a collaboration between EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling program and the Product Stewardship Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, which received a $46,000 EPA innovative working group grant for the project. Companies supporting the program include Apple, Dell, Epson America, HP, Lexmark, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony and Brother International Corp. Unused electronics, or e-waste, is among the fastest growing waste streams due to growing sales and rapid obsolescence of these products. An estimated 20 million personal computers became obsolete in the U.S. in 1998 and an estimated 61 million personal computers will become obsolete in 2004. Electronic wastes contain numerous toxic substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, lithium and brominated flame retardants. These materials can be released to the environment as leachate from landfills or as air emissions from waste-to-energy facilities, posing a threat to human health and the environment. For more information, visit the agency’s web site at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/index.htm
Press Releases EPA and CT DEP To Test Wells Near Durham Meadows Site EPA Reaches Agreement With New Bedford Over Initial PCB Removal at McCoy Field Elementary Students in Massachusetts Get Environmental Protection Agency Award Elementary Students in Connecticut Get Environmental Protection Agency Award NSTAR Agrees to $63,380 Settlement for Oil Spill Violations in Charles River NH Real Estate Developer and Contractor Charged With Clean Water Act Violations EPA Enters into Final Site Cleanup Agreement with Massachusetts Company Administrator Leavitt Announces Demolition Will Begin at Fairhaven, Mass. Site EPA Takes Next Step Towards Cleanup of Plaistow, N.H. Superfund Site Elementary Students in Vermont get Environmental Protection Agency Award Elementary Students in Maine get Environmental Protection Agency Award
Events and conferences are not archived. Please refer to the Regional Calendar for upcoming events and conferences.
Brownfields - what’s new Car Free Alternatives - updated links Colleges and Universities Assistance - updated bmp catalog case studies Durham Superfund Site - new fact sheet added GE Pittsfield Superfund Site - what’s new GE Pittsfield - updated meeting info Grants - updated information Marina Assistance - updated pump-out info No Discharge Areas - updated long island sound map Pesticides - updated information Wells G&H Superfund Site - risk assessment added
"In The News" is a free daily service that provides links to today's top newspaper stories about the New England environment and links to related EPA New England information. In The News Email Service: As soon as today's edition of "In The News" has been posted we will inform you via email. |
![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif)