what is meant by green electronics?

Answer 1

Computers and other office electronics play a big role in our lives, helping us perform tasks in an efficient manner. But electronic equipment is part of an increasing and complex waste stream that poses challenging environmental management problems for federal agencies because of the hazardous constituents in many of these products. Fortunately, many programs and resources can help you safely manage your unwanted electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner.

Many of EPA's regional offices are taking part in the reuse and recycling of "technotrash"—small electronic items and computer accessories such as diskettes, CDs/DVDs and their jewel cases, and video, audio, and computer tapes and their cases. Any items that can be reused should be placed in a centralized location easily accessed by all staff members. Those items that cannot be reused can be collected and shipped offsite for recycling. EPA offices interested in starting a technotrash reuse and recycling program should contact Gail Wray of EPA's Sustainable Facilities Practices Branch for more information or explore the GreenDisk Web site.

EPA’s Recycling Electronics and Asset Disposition (READ) Program provides all federal agencies with a tool to properly manage electronic inventories and unwanted equipment in an environmentally responsible manner.

EPA’s Product Stewardship Web page describes how electronic products can be made more sustainable by making electronic equipment with fewer toxic constituents and designing equipment with upgradability, durability, and recyclability in mind.

EPA’s Plug-in to E-Cycling is a program that aims to increase the number of electronic devices collected and recycled. It offers information about electronics recycling to the public, facilitates various partnerships to promote safe electronics recycling, and establishes pilot projects to test new approaches to electronics recycling.

Through the WasteWise Electronics Challenge, WasteWise partners pledge to reduce electronic waste by donating reusable equipment, buying remanufactured equipment, leasing electronics instead of buying, and recycling equipment that can no longer be used.

The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) is a voluntary partnership program that encourages facilities and organizations to purchase “green” electronics, reduce the impact of electronics when using them, and manage unusable electronics in an environmentally safe manner.

EPEAT is a procurement tool developed by the Green Electronics Council to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT also provides performance criteria for the design of products, and provides a list of manufacturers and their efficient products.
http://www.green-electronics.com/
www.epa.gov/greeningepa/practices/electronics.htm
www.greenelectronics.fi

Answer 2

Computer recycling

Computer recycling is the practice of salvaging usable components from obsolete electronic devices. The term is also used to refer to the practice of safely disposing of electronic devices, which often contain toxic materials and therefore must be handled in a different manner than normal waste. Computer recycling may also be about when people rebuild old computers or laptops and then sell them, they often find computers that are obsolete, that don't have any monitors, Hard Drives, motherboards, etc., when people re-build computers is often called refurbishing, people have probably been doing this since the 1980s when the Personal Computer era started.

Most major Computer manufacturers offer some form of recycling, often as a free replacement service when purchasing a new PC. At the user's request they may mail in their old computer, or arrange for pickup from the manufacturer.

Answer 3

GreenElectronics is a public service online portal for consumers to recycle or reuse their electronics products once they have reached end-of-life. It was designed by The Consumer Electronics Association to empower consumers to make what some people consider "responsible choices" throughout their products’ life cycle.

Answer 4

green electronics :

It mainly focuses Electronic manufacturer policies on toxic chemicals and recycling.Its main objective is to stop using the worst toxic chemicals in electronic goods.

what made them look at toxic chemicals in electronics ?

The presence of toxic substances in electronics perpetuates the toxic cycle – during reprocessing of electronic waste and by using contaminated secondary materials to make new products.Until the use of toxic substances is eliminated, it is impossible to secure ‘safe’ recycling. For this reason, the points awarded to corporate practice on chemicals (five criteria, double points for PVC – and BFR-free models) are weighted more heavily than criteria on recycling,because until the use of harmful substances is eliminated in products, it is impossible to secure ‘safe’, toxic-free recycling.

there are two criteria's in green electronics they are five point criteria and four point criteria.

(a) five point criteria :

1. A chemicals policy based on the Precautionary Principle.

2. Chemicals Management: supply chain management of chemicals via e.g. banned/restricted substance lists, policy to identify problematic substances for future elimination/substitution.

3. Timeline for phasing out all use of vinyl plastic (PVC).

4. Timeline for phasing out all use of brominated flame retardants (not just those banned by EU’s RoHS Directive).

5. PVC- and BFR-free models of electronic products on the market.

(b) four point criteria :

1. Support for individual (financial) producer responsibility – that producers finance the end-of-life management of their products, by taking back and reusing/recycling their own-brand discarded products.

2. Provides voluntary takeback and recycling in every country where it sells its products, even in the absence of national laws requiring Producer Responsibility for electronic waste.

3. Provides clear information for individual customers on takeback and recycling services in all countries where there are sales of its products.

4. Reports on amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collected and recycled.