E-Waste reduction requires innovative approaches

“One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century — especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These appliances depend on potentially hazardous materials, such as mercury, to operate. After a five-to-eight year useful life, many are tossed into dumpster and sent to landfills where they can leach into the soil and groundwater.”

That was the opening paragraph of a column I wrote 20 years ago. However, today the problem is much larger, more complex and presents greater dangers to public health and our environment worldwid...