When it comes to environmental issues and computing, there are two key areas for improvement.  One is power usage, which was already covered to some extent in a previous post in this blog -- to view it, go here.  The other key challenge is how to minimize environmental impact when electronics reach the end of their lifecycle.

The concept of tech trash has been around for years, with old TVs becoming a staple of landfills.  However, the problem has ballooned in recent years with monitor designs coming and going, and the emergence of a never-ending turnover of servers and desktops.  With the surging levels of tech-related garbage, some firms have made a business out of shipping junk electronics overseas.  This practice not only is ethically problematic, but also typically leads to unsafe extraction of materials, which in turn can lead to both environmental contamination and exposure of local workers to deadly toxins.

Much of the problem of tech trash could be dealt with if proper disposal techniques were used.  Additionally, by avoiding shipping trash overseas, valuable profits from components recycling can be gained.  With that in mind, let's take a look at reducing the impact of tech trash from a server perspective and how it's a win-win scenario for everyone.   

1.  Buy/support non-toxic electronics.
One way to reduce the impact of tech trash is to support less toxic electronics.  One of the most toxic materials in electronics is the lead found in solder.  Lead causes a wide array of health problems, including blindness, brain damage, and infertility.  While it's always fun to root for the underdog, pick Intel's 45 nm server processors -- the smallest CPUs to go lead free.  Intel paid over $100M USD to go lead free, so the least you can do is support their decision.  AMD also has lead free offerings at larger nodes.

Also look to eliminate Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and other halogen products from your server electronics.  Again, Intel server chips are a smart choice as they feature BFR-free packaging.

2.  Reuse and repurpose old electronics
Often times there's still a use for those old server boards.  Typically, in large corporations, while some parts of the company need bleeding edge data handling, other parts can work with older components, and are short resources.  When your company can't find repurposed old electronics itself, contact your server manufacturer.  Many responsible server manufacturers, such as Sun Microsystems offer free or low cost recycling programs.  David Douglas, vice president of eco-responsibility at Sun Microsystems says that the company reuses 50 percent of the servers it gets back.

3.  Return components to manufacturer for proper recycling or disposal
When it comes to computer components, there's no real excuse not to recycle a great deal of the onboard electronics.  To support these efforts buy servers from manufacturers like Sun Microsystems that offer their customers recycling programs.  Sun reports that it recycles 45 percent of the material it takes back, and as previously mentioned reuses much of the rest, only leaving 5 percent for disposal.

One ideal benefit of recycling programs is that if the components can't be recycled, typically manufacturers will dispose of them in a safer manner than they would be if they were shipped overseas.  If you have tech trash that is not covered by a manufacturer, HP will take other manufacturers' tech trash for a small fee.

4.  Support government efforts to stamp out tech trash abuse.
There's pending legislation in Congress that would impose stiffer fines on those found to be exporting tech trash.  These fines would help to squash this destructive black market.  They will benefit companies like Sun and HP that have enacting proactive tech trash return policies, while forcing these companies' less conscientious competitors to adopt similar processes.

Similarly, there are government efforts to conduct continuing research into the effects of halogens found in common electronics.  Support of these efforts and appropriate corrective actions is critical.

5. A solution to tech trash
Through a combination of government, corporate, and private efforts the blight of tech trash can be stamped out and valuable energy and materials can be saved.  Reducing tech trash not only helps the environment, but the U.S. economy as well.  In the end, the fight against tech trash boils down to the corporate end user's willingness to pursue better solutions.  It may not always be easy, but in the end its well worth it.

For other eco-friendly ideas, head on over to Sun’s website.