E-waste reduction needs new 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 five-to-eight year useful life, many are tossed into dumpsters and sent to landfills where those hazardous materials can leach into the soil, streams 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 e...