1. Why Collect and Recycle Electronics -Clive Hess

2. Benefits of Recycling Establishes more jobs, economic development, and tax revenue Makes less impact on landfills Creates less greenhouse gas emissions Produces more energy security -U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

3. Challenges Opportunities for Recycling in Texas Products quickly become obsolete and discarded Electronics are difficult to recycle Discarded electronics are handled poorly Lack of education on recycling Municipalities and cities choosing the right recycling partner Decrease in commodity prices -Electronics Take Back Coalition

4. BENEFIT: Establishing more jobs, economic development, and tax revenue Creates new business that haul, process and broker materials. The recycling and reuse industry consists of approximately 56,000 establishments that employ over 1.1 million people. The recycling and reuse industry generates billions in federal, state, and local tax revenues. -U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

5. BENEFIT: Makes less impact on landfills and more natural resources for future generations Recycling revenues can help defray recycling costs and forestall the need for new disposal capacity. By substituting recovered scrap materials for the use of trees, metal ores, minerals, oil, and other virgin materials, recycling reduces the pressure to expand forestry and mining production, which can be environmentally damaging. Fossil fuels and metals are nonrenewable resources- They cannot be replenished by nature within our lifetimes. - U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

6. BENEFIT: Creates less greenhouse gas emissions Current evidence suggests that human activities have contributed to accelerated warming of the Earth’s surface through the increase of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). While there is uncertainty regarding the human and ecological impacts of climate change, scientists have identified that our health, agriculture, water resources, forests, wildlife and coastal areas are vulnerable to the changes that global warming may bring. -U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

7. BENEFIT: Produces more energy security The amount of energy saved differs by material, however almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings. About 4 percent of the U.S.’s total energy consumption is used in the production of all plastic products. -U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

8. OPPORTUNITY: Why to collect and recycle electronics The biggest question in recycling is “Why?” Does it really make a difference? People who question recycling need to realize that it makes a difference and directly affects their community, city and the entire world. As our population grows, it will become difficult for the landfills to hold so much trash. Our cities and landscapes are faced with pollution, poisoning and many health problems. -CEF (Conserve Energy Future)

9. OPPORTUNITY: Electronics are difficult to recycle Recycling electronics isn’t the same as recycling cardboard. It is a different process and not easy. Proper and safe recycling often costs more money than the materials are worth. Electronics contain many toxic materials. -Electronics Take Back Coalition

10. OPPORTUNITY: Discarded electronics are handled poorly Most e-waste still goes in the landfill. The EPA estimates that in 2011, the US generated nearly 3.4 million TONS of e-waste. But only about 25% of that was collected for recycling. - Electronics Take Back Coalition

11. OPPORTUNITY: Products quickly become obsolete and discarded In the US, we scrap about 400 million units per year of consumer electronics, according to recycling industry experts. Rapid advances in technology mean that electronic products are becoming obsolete more quickly. -Electronics Take Back Coalition

12. OPPORTUNITY: Lack of education on recycling Education on recycling isn’t being promoted or advertised enough to properly educate consumers and businesses. In New York, people produce enough trash in one day to fill the entire Empire State building. Every day, we use a variety of products in our households and work to fulfill our basic needs. We ignore the fact that a major portion of our waste can be recycled or reused. - Earth Friends

13. OPPORTUNITY: Municipalities and cities choosing the right recycling partner When choosing a recycling partner, you should consider the following: Are they R2 or eSteward certified? What credentials do they have? What is their experience? Do they service other businesses in the same industry? What type of insurance do they have? (i.e. general liability, pollution, error and omission, etc.) Plan a site visit and tour the facility.

14. OPPORTUNITY: Decrease in commodity prices Decrease from August 2014 to August 2015  Gold decreased by 16% from $1,307.90/troy oz down to $1,107.00/troy oz  Silver decreased by 25% from $20.20/troy oz down to $15.34/troy oz  Copper decreased by 26% from $3.17/lb down to $2.35/lb The commodity prices in 2013:  Gold=$1,341.00/troy oz  Silver=$21.38/troy oz  Copper=$3.28/lb

15. Questions for the audience Who has a residential electronics recycling program in Texas? What do you like and dislike about your program? Is your program free? Do you have logistic or recycling fees?

16. CompuCycle and our role in recycling: CERTIFIED woman owned small business Houston’s first (R2) certified electronics recycling company Hard drive data sanitization and destruction services Refurbishing equipment for reuse Environmentally responsible, safe and secure electronics recycling Clive Hess 7700 Kempwood Drive Houston, Texas 77055 chess@compucycle.net 832.483.9306