CETI - Community Electronics Technology Interface

Welcome to our frequently asked questions. What are the benefits of services? Why should I recycle? What are the risks of improper electronics disposal by a company, organization or individual? Why is there a cost to dispose of my electronic equipment? What are the Benefits of Services?
	Hassle Free Service. You place the call, we visit the site to assess the level of need, we pick up the electronics and provide you with a comprehensive invoice of items collected.
	CETI exercises a “No Landfill” policy for items we receive.
	Education programs are made available to increase the awareness of responsible electronic recycling.
	Operating computers are refurbished and locally distributed.
	CETI provides a Certificate of Recycling certifying that electronics have been received and will be appropriately recycled.
	CETI has a comprehensive process for certified destruction of your hard-drive data, which meets DOD and HIPAA requirements.
	Service Learning opportunities are made available to individuals pursuing IT careers.
	CETI is approved by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
	CETI will offer a tax writeoff opportunity once we receive our 501 (c) (3) status.

Ultimate Benefit?
	Divert discarded waste electronics from Illinois landfills
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Why Should I Recycle?
According to the U.S. EPA website, electronic equipment contains metals and other materials that can be hazardous to human health and the environment if they are not properly managed. These hazardous matrerials are;
	Cadmium - (found in chip resistors, infrared detectors, and semiconductors) - Cadmium can accumulate in and negatively impact, the kidneys. Cadmium is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. The principal exposure pathway is through respiration and through our food.
	Lead - (found in glass panels in computer monitors and in lead soldering of printed circuit boards) - Lead can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems, and kidneys in humans. Lead has also been shown to have negative effects on the development of children's' brains. Lead can accumulate in the environment and have a detrimental effect on plants, animals, and humans. Consumer electronics may be responsible for 40% of the lead found in landfills. The principal pathway of concern is lead leaching from landfills and contaminating drinking-water supplies.
	Mercury - (found in thermostats, position sensors, relays and switches (e.g., on printed circuit boards), discharge lamps, and batteries. It is also used in medical equipment, data transmission, telecommunications, and mobile phones.) - When mercury make its way into waterways, it is transformed into methylated mercury in the sediments. Methylated mercury accumulates in living organisms and travels up the food chain. Methylated mercury can cause brain damage. The principal exposure pathway is through our food.
	Hexavalent Chromium or Chromium VI - (can be used to protect against corrosion of untreated and galvanized steel plates) - Chromium VI can damage DNA and has been linked to asthmatic bronchitis. The major pathways are through landfill leachate or from fly ash generated when materials containing Chromium VI are incinerated.
	Brominated Flame Retardants - (found on printed circuit boards, components such as plastic covers and cables as well as plastic covers of televisions) - Although less is known about BFRs than some other contaminants of concern, research has shown that one of these flame retardants, Polybrominated Diphenylethers (PDBE), might act as an endocrine disrupter. Flame retardant Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB) may increase cancer risk to the digestive and lymph systems. Once released into the environment through landfill leachate and incineration, they are concentrated in the food chain.
	Plastic - Because manufacturers use many different types of plastic in electronic equipment, it is the most challenging to recycle. These plastics often include contaminants such as metal screws and inserts, coatings and paints, foams, and labels. Currently, plastics from electronic equipment are both difficult and costly to sort for single-resin feedstock markets and there are limited markets for the mixed-plastics stream. Also, plastics can be treated with brominated flame retardants, making them harder to recycle and possibly dangerous to those exposed to them. Additionally, electronics are made with valuable resources such as precious metals, engineered plastics, glass, and other materials—all of which require energy to manufacture. When equipment is thrown away, these resources cannot be recovered and additional pollution will be generated to manufacture new products out of virgin materials.
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What are the risks of improper electronics disposal by a company, organization or individual?
	Taking shortcuts on responsible electronics recycling can lead to various liabilities. Equipment that is not properly handled can create an embarrassing situation. (See e-Waste story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)

Potential liabilities include:
	Environmental (contaminated drinking water)
	Privacy (data security compromised)
	Public perception (bad publicity)
	Government intervention (fines and/or penalties)
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Why is there a cost to dispose of my electronic equipment?
	The $5 fee for computer monitors and $10 fee for televisions (TVs) is used to reduce or eliminate the costs associated with properly managing the hazardous-waste material in these products at the end of their useful lives. Many states, like California, Florida, and Washington, have passed laws that ban the disposal of electronics in landfills. California has further imposed an Electronic Waste Recycling Fee that is assessed to the consumer at the point of purchase.
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