Digital Waste Festers

Some things you expect to see by the side of the road: sidewalks, traffic signs, perhaps a bit of litter. But a computer monitor?

Yet there one was, tucked amid the weeds, as I drove down a suburban street recently.

I don't know whether the monitor was put out with the trash and refused by the pickup crew, or whether it was simply abandoned. But its presence was a stark reminder that we don't have a system for disposing of the mounds of computer equipment we producing.

For a while, computer equipment was rare and valuable enough that you almost always could find someone to take it off your hands, even if it was past its prime. But over time, computer equipment has become just another common commodity.

One result is that schools, nonprofit organizations and other traditional recipients of donated equipment are less eager to accept used computers, printers and the like. Lower prices and the high cost of maintaining old equipment mean it's often easier and cheaper to just buy what they need.

At the same time, the growing number of computer users means that more and more people are upgrading to new systems. The speed at which computer equipment becomes obsolete only makes the problem worse. So we've got a double whammy of more computer refuse and fewer places willing to take it.

A few charities accept donated equipment. In Connecticut, these come to mind: Computers 4 Kids in Waterbury (www.c4k.org), the National Cristina Foundation in Stamford (www.cristina.org), and TechCycle in Stamford (www.techcycle.org).

For a while, computer equipment was rare and valuable enough that you almost always could find someone to take it off your hands, even if it was past its prime. But over time, computer equipment has become just another common commodity.

But even these organizations prefer newer equipment. And in any case, donating computers only shifts and postpones the disposal problem; it doesn't solve it.

Disposal presents a big challenge because computer equipment often contains toxic components, such as lead, that shouldn't be burned or dumped. Massachusetts banned the disposal of computer monitors (also known as CRTs, for cathode ray tubes) for that reason.

Connecticut has no ban. Nor does it have a system for proper disposal.

At the moment, we have a patchwork of occasional one-day collections sponsored by municipalities and the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. A handful of private companies accept computer equipment for recycling.

That is, at best, a modest start. Given the number of computers being discarded, we need a far more comprehensive approach.

Allowing people to put computer equipment in recycling bins, along with the cans, bottles and newspapers, might be unrealistic. But cities and towns should offer their citizens some place where computer equipment can be disposed of safely.

Sure, there will be costs, just as there are costs associated with disposing of household refuse. But our environment is paying a price.

The Connecticut state legislature, for one, has considered the problem a couple of times in recent years, but hasn't done anything. Meanwhile, we're on our own.

If this keeps up, seeing computer monitors sitting on the side of the road won't be such a surprise after all.

Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service