Webinar: Electronics Recycling in Will County 2012

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Marta Keane, Recycling Program Specialist & Green Business Relations Coordinator for the Will County (IL) Land Use Department Resource Recovery & Energy Division, will present “Electronics Recycling in Will County 2012.” Register online for this webinar at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/792822047.

Abstract: Effective January 1, 2012, Illinois banned disposal of electronics in landfills. This presentation will describe Will County’s collection efforts before the mandatory ban, the county’s Front Door Electronic Service Program (a 3-year pilot program started April 2011), and steps taken to prepare for the ban. Results of these efforts thus far will be discussed as well as some remaining issues yet to be resolved. Examples of additional sustainability programs being conducted by Will County will also be described, including: efforts that resulted in receiving the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award in 2012; household hazardous waste service; tire collection events; book reuse & recycling events; shoe collection/textile collection; medication collection; green building improvements; and the Landfill Gas-to-Energy project.

SEI, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR), and ISTC are hosting a series of seminars this fall focused on sustainable electronics research and issues. Watch the SEI calendar for upcoming seminar dates. You may contact Nancy Holm, SEI Research Coordinator, to be added to the mailing list to receive email notifications of upcoming seminars.

IL EPA Offers Grants to Promote Awareness of Landfill Ban and Electronics Recycling

November 15 is America Recycles Day. Celebrated since 1997, this event is about educating the public about how and what to recycle, while encouraging people to do so as part of their daily routine.  When most people take part in America Recycles Day events, they focus on the typical items you might place in the nearest blue bin or on the curb for weekly collection–paper, plastics, aluminum cans, etc. However, if you’re reading this blog, you already know that it’s just as important to consider recycling or reusing electronics when they are no longer of use to you. To learn more about America Recycles Day and resources available on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) web site regarding how to recycle or donate your electronics, as well as legislation related to electronics disposal and recycling, see my previous blog post on America Recycles Day.

If you are a recycling coordinator in the state of Illinois, America Recycles Day is the perfect time to check out the Illinois EPA’s new grant program offering up to $2000 to recycling coordinators in each county in Illinois. The grants are for the purpose of educating the public about the state landfill ban, and providing information on opportunities available for electronics recycling. To apply for a grant, visit http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/electronic-waste-recycling/index.html and click on the “Grants” tab. The application deadline is February 1, 2013, and recipients must expend the $2000 before December 31 in the program year in which the grant is received. For more information or questions related to the application process, contact Michelle Bentley at 217-524-6713.

Webinar: Sustainable Electronics: Lessons Learned from the RoHS and the Pb-free Transition, 11/5/12

Join us for a webinar on Monday, November 5, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Dr. Carol Handwerker, Reinhardt Schuhmann Jr. Professor of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, will present “Sustainable Electronics: Lessons Learned from the RoHS and the Pb-free Transition.” Register online  for this webinar at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/712035655.

Abstract: With the impending ban on Pb in electronics in 2006, the consumer electronics industry world-wide began working together in the late ’90’s to define a standard Pb-free solder alloy for electronics manufacturing. The speed of the transition and the level of cooperation demonstrated in preparing industry to manufacture products with Pb-free solder provide benchmarks for sustainability-driven technology transitions in a rapidly changing global industry.  What does this tell us about future changes in materials and processes as we learn more about the consequences of our electronics use?

SEI, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR), and ISTC are hosting a series of seminars this fall focused on sustainable electronics research and issues. Watch the SEI calendar for upcoming seminar dates. You may contact Nancy Holm, SEI Research Coordinator, to be added to the mailing list to receive email notifications of upcoming seminars.

Registration for 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition Closes Tomorrow, Nov. 1

Reminder: Registration for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition will close at 4:59 PM Central time, tomorrow, November 1, 2012. If you have registered and are working on a submission, be sure to submit all required information before that time. Once the deadline passes, you will no longer be able to access your online submission form using your log in and password.

Participants are encouraged to enter required information, such as contact information and proof of eligibility for team members, as soon as possible. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit all of your information and end up racing against time to get necessary files uploaded. When updating your entry, it is important to remember scroll all the way down to the bottom of the submission form and click on “Update Project Information.” This saves the new material you added to your entry. Failure to click on the “update” button could result in information not being saved. You don’t want to be disqualified for not having a complete entry because you forgot to click on the “update” button, so please make sure to click that before you sign out at any point.

Jurors will begin to assess entries after the deadline passes, and will make final decisions by the end of November. Winners will be announced on December 4, 2012, at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and via webinar. Details on registration for that webinar will be posted as the date approaches. Cash prizes, made possible by sponsors including Dell, Inc., will be awarded in each of two categories (E-Waste Prevention and E-Waste Reuse).

Good luck with your entries!

Webinar: Closing the Loop on Electronic Devices, 10/3/12

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Craig Boswell, Co-founder and President of HOBI International, Inc., will present “Closing the Loop on Electronic Devices.” Register online  for this webinar at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/667661975.

The incorporation of Design for Recyclability (DFR) in to the design process is an extremely critical step towards the creation of more recyclable electronics products. A product’s design can have the single greatest impact on both the logistics and the costs of the recycling process. Constraints set forth by the design can dictate not only the methodology used to recycle the product but also the revenues (or costs) generated from the recycling process. This presentation provides an overview of the application of DFR concepts to the design of electronics products.

SEI, the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR), and ISTC are hosting a series of seminars this fall focused on sustainable electronics research and issues. Watch the SEI calendar for upcoming seminar dates. You may contact Nancy Holm, SEI Research Coordinator, to be added to the mailing list to receive email notifications of upcoming seminars.

Webinar Sept. 19: “Adapting Ecological Models for Linking Sustainable Production and Consumption Dynamics in Consumer Electronic Product Systems”

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Dr. Callie Babbitt of the Rochester Institute of Technology will present “Adapting Ecological Models for Linking Sustainable Production and Consumption Dynamics in Consumer Electronic Product Systems” via webinar. Continue reading “Webinar Sept. 19: “Adapting Ecological Models for Linking Sustainable Production and Consumption Dynamics in Consumer Electronic Product Systems””

Inspiring Competition

NOTE: This post was written by ISTC staff member Elizabeth Meschewski.

Just a reminder that registration is now open for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition. Entries are due by 4:59 PM Central Time on November 1, 2012. Sometimes it is hard to think of a masterpiece without some inspiration. Below are several inspiring ideas that would fit well in our two competition categories: E-Waste Pollution Prevention and E-Waste ReuseContinue reading “Inspiring Competition”

Webinar Sept. 5–“Electronic Waste: Our Problem and What We Should Do About It”

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted live at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Presenters include William Bullock, Affiliate with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art and Design, U of I at Urbana-Champaign; and Joy Scrogum, Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, Prairie Research Institute, U of I at Urbana- Champaign.  Continue reading “Webinar Sept. 5–“Electronic Waste: Our Problem and What We Should Do About It””

Registration Now Open for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition

Registration is now open for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition. Participants in this competition are asked to explore solutions to both remediate the existing e-waste problem and prevent e-waste generation in the future. Registration is free and open to current college/university students from around the world and recent graduates. See the competition web site for complete details, and my previous post announcing the competition.

Submissions are being accepted in two categories: E-Waste Prevention (products or services that prevent e-waste generation through life-cycle considerations) and E-waste Reuse (ideas that incorporate e-waste components into a new and useful item). Note changes to the rules for this year, if you participated in previous years. The project description is now a minimum of 500 words, with a maximum of five pages, and a bibliography with a minimum of five references is required. An important component of the submission is a brief YouTube video highlighting the entry’s design, features, and special design concepts. See “Rules” on the competition web site for complete details and requirements.

SEI is grateful to Dell, Inc. for their corporate sponsorship of this year’s competition. The Jury will award one entry from each of the two categories a Platinum Award of 3,000 USD, a Gold Award of 2,000 USD, and a Silver Award of 1,000 USD, for a total of six monetary awards. The decisions of the jury are final. Honorable Mention awards may be given at the discretion of the judges, and will receive certificates and recognition on the competition web site and in press releases. No cash prizes will be given for Honorable Mentions.

The 2012 Jury is comprised of the following individuals:

  • Jason Linnell, Executive Director, National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER)
  • Chris Newman, Materials Management Branch, U.S. EPA Region 5
  • Bill Olson, Director, Office of Sustainability and Stewardship, Mobile Devices Business, Motorola, Inc.
  • Steven Samuels, Brand & Design Manager of ReCellular, Inc.
  • Kerstin Nelson Strom, Ecodesign Section Chair, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)

If you are interested in supporting the competition, individuals may use the secure online link to the U of I Foundation available on the competition web site. Corporations may contact Joy Scrogum at 217-333-8948. Donations are used for cash prizes and program administration.

For more information, contact Joy Scrogum, SEI Education Coordinator, via email or at 217-333-8948.

2012 International E-Waste Design Competition

International E-Waste Design Competition LogoThis Fall, current college/university students and recent graduates will have an exciting opportunity to create useful and appealing products from e-waste—computers, printers, cell phones and similar materials that would normally end up in landfills. This is not only an interesting challenge, but an important social and environmental issue, as the U.S. EPA estimates that Americans currently own nearly 3 billion electronic products and that about two-thirds of the electronic devices removed from service are still in working order. However, only about 15% of this material is recycled while the majority is disposed in landfills.

The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI, www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu) and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC, www.istc.illinois.edu) are once again pleased to announce the International E-Waste Design Competition (www.ewaste.illinois.edu), in which participants will explore solutions to this problem at the local level and beyond. At the conclusion of last year’s competition, $20,000 in prize money was awarded to six teams and three honorable mentions. Prize money was contributed by corporate sponsors including DELL and Walmart. The prizes for the 2012 competition are to be announced. For videos from last year’s competition, see www.ewaste.illinois.edu/.

Registration is free and opens September 1, 2012. College students and recent graduates are encouraged to submit their ideas for products or services that prevent e-waste generation through life-cycle considerations (E-Waste Prevention Category) or that incorporate e-waste components into a new and useful item (E-Waste Reuse Category). See the rules posted on the competition web site for complete details regarding eligibility and descriptions of project categories. One entry per person or team is allowed. Students are not allowed to be on more than one team, but students are allowed to submit a project with one team and additionally submit one individual project. Registration closes November 1, 2012 and winners will be announced in early December as the finale of ISTC’s Sustainability Seminar series for Fall 2012, which will be focused on sustainable electronics. The awards presentation will also be broadcast as a webinar. Continue reading “2012 International E-Waste Design Competition”