E-devices are so pervasive in our lives that we might not consider the full potential of personal e-waste reduction. The British weighed in with a law that, according to Discover magazine, expands the e-waste definition to include electrical 'adult toys'. Individual manufacturers are also offering green devices.

The complexities of monitoring compliance with e-waste disposal regulations were illustrated last year in differing assessments from two different Federal agencies (GAO & EPA). The viewpoints are informative, but the bottom line is that responsible enterprises should complement government efforts by taking a careful look at exactly what their e-waste contractors are doing with the gear. The EPA provides information about what to expect from a good e-waste recycler.

The transition to digital television (DTV) will likely generate hundreds of tons of e-waste in the form of stations' old analog transmission equipment. Disposal of this equipment was never accounted for in industry or government DTV planning. Most of the equipment is towards the end of life-cycle and pending DTV transitions in Mexico and Canada are drying up what remains of the North American resale market.

Vertatique raised the issue back in 2007 of increased home energy consumption and carbon emissions due to widespread deployment of digital-to-analog (DTA) converter boxes in 2009. Energy Star reports that "In the U.S. alone, depending on viewer behavior and product design, EPA estimates that conventional DTAs could consume more than 3 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) per year and cost Americans $270 million annually in additional electricity bills."  New DTA models hold hope for improving the situation.

EU regulators continue to exempt medical devices from sustainable technology standards like RoHS and WEEE. 2012 now looks like the earliest the exemption will be lifted. But pressure on device manufacturers to address these issues is mounting through specific focus by associations like

Readers who have followed Vertatique since 2007 know that I find the photographs of and film about Edward Burtynsky make compelling arguments for getting a handle on our e-waste/cyberwaste stream. I was reminded of this by the reaction his story and work always receive when I talk about Green ICT.

I've previously covered the emerging use of corn-based plastics in e-devices. Now, in its coverage of a new phone using corn bioplastics, The New York Times offers this critique:

"Unfortunately Samsung’s new cellphone relies on a flawed equation:

National Geographic's "High Tech Trash" is loaded with everything from an interactive toxic tour of a computer to an e-waste quiz to stats like ". . . in the U.S. [in 2005], between 1.5 and 1.9 million tons of computers, TVs, VCRs, monitors, cell phones, and other equipment were discarded. If all sources of electronic waste are tallied, it could total 50 million tons a year worldwide . . ." The Photo Gallery tells the story most powerfully - check it out!

The EPA estimates ~100 million analog television sets are already in storage. More analog television sets will become obsolete over the next two years as analog over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting is terminated in favor of digital-only signals (DTV). According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) survey report "Trends in Consumer Electronics (CE) Afterlife", consumers intend to sell, donate, or recycle 95%. Will this really happen . . . ?

Media industry practitioners can access audio and slide presentations of the sessions at the 2008 Green Media Summit. The focus is on media replication, packaging, and distribution, but other topics are covered during the day-long program.