Practice Management

Law firms are in the information and communication business.  As a result, lawyers and law firms discard large numbers of computers, printers, computers, TVs, cell phones, monitors, smoke detectors and other instruments.  E-waste is the term used to describe these discarded electronics and electrical products on which we, as lawyers, rely.  As the legal markets taste for gadgetry has increased, e-waste from lawyers and law firms has increased.

The question is what happens to this e-waste?   It contains a large quantities of toxic and hazardous components that are currently being thrown into landfills.  Even worse for the lawyers and law firms, much of it is crammed in offices, and storage facilities as law firms try to figure out what to do with it.

Society is just now beginning to realize the consequences of e-waste.  Exposure to the toxins contained in the e-waste is not fully understood, but it believed not to be good.  The good news is that people (including lawyers) have begun taking notice of the environment and human health hazards involved with e-waste.  Governments from around the world are now stepping in and are working to find solutions to this growing problem.

As a general rule it is the inner mechanical organs that are both valuable and so toxic. They contain heavy metals, semimetals and other chemical compounds such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, copper, beryllium, barium, chromium, nickel, zinc, silver and gold. Many of these elements are used in circuit boards and comprise electrical parts such as computer chips, monitors and wiring. Also, many electrical products include various flame-retardant chemicals that might pose potential health risks.  Although these toxins might be safe encased in our computers, laptops, printers, monitors and the like, problems occur once the casings are broken.  This can happen in the office, but it is likely to happen once the product is trashed.  That is a problem for both you and me.

The issue for all of is concerns what is known as "bioaccumulation".  This occurs when people, plants and animals build up levels of toxic substances in their bodies faster than they can get rid of them.  This can happen in our food chain as we continue to simply trash our electronics and electrical components.  Mercury, for example, is a big issue and is absorbed easily by plant life and animals.

When you think about it, the old stored electronics at law firms can represent dangerous electronic graveyards.  There is a need to get rid of the product, but how?

It is a bit more complicated, but you need to see if your device's manufacturer has a take-back program.  Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Sony and Toshiba all claim to take back some of your old electronic devices.

If there is not a take-back program, you need to find an e-waste recycler who practices on-site recycling. They have a process that breaks open the electronics.  Then using a conveyor belt with vibrating screens and magnetic fields they extract different elements.

Please, be responsible.  Do not let spaces at your offices and home become electronic graveyards.  And, do not simply dispose of your electronic and electrical waste in landfills.  We will all pay the price.