Dogging Dell to Take it Back
by Sam Cole and Eric Vozick

Nobody likes to be dogged, especially industry leading companies that spend millions of dollars on their public image. Who better, then, to target for their less than sound environmental practices? Dell Computer Corp., world leader in PC sales, is being targeted by the Computer Take-Back Campaign, a coalition of environmental groups, to create a model computer recycling program for the electronics industry.

Dell’s eCycle program in Europe collects equipment from consumers and then resells, refurbishes, recycles or otherwise disposes of it in an environmentally sound manner. Here in the United States, Dell recently announced that they will accept old computers for recycling, but they stick the consumer with the effort and expense of shipping them back to Dell. “Dell Computer has an improper double standard on this issue,” says David Wood, Program Director of the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN). “If Dell manages to offer environmentally-sound take-back programs in so many other countries, and yet still makes sufficient profit to maintain its position as a market leader year after year, then it seems difficult to believe that the company could not assume similar responsibility for its share of the U.S. electronic waste problem while still achieving outstanding financial results,” continued Wood.

The Computer Take Back Campaign is pressuring Dell and the entire industry to take three significant steps: Take it Back, Make it Clean, and Recycle Responsibly. “Take it Back” requires shifting the burden of recovery and recycling from government, non-profits and consumers to the manufacturer/brand owner, forcing them to take financial and environmental responsibility for the materials they put into the world. “Make it Clean” calls for phasing out the use of toxic materials in their products. “Recycle Responsibly” would have the industry designing products for recyclability, developing markets for recycling, and supporting public education about how consumers can manage their spent electronics. It would also require manufacturers to disclose all the hazardous substances contained in their products, and would establish performance standards for electronics recycling companies, including bans on landfilling, incinerating or exporting electronic waste.

Ecopledge.com, a member of the Take-Back coalition, is working to take the Dell campaign to colleges and universities across the country. This national, student-led organization is rallying on campuses to make Dell raise their standards in the US. (Locally, Eco-Cycle works with ecopledge.com at the University of Colorado.) Ecopledge.com encourages students to pledge not to work for, invest in or buy products from companies they target, such as Pepsi, Ford and Staples. Join the effort today by going to ecopledge.com and pledging your commitment to hold companies responsible for their environmental impacts.

What You Can Do

Call or send a letter to Dell and ask them to meet the demands of the Computer Take-Back Campaign. Dell’s service and support number is 1-800-624-9897, and their address is:

Dell Computer Corporation
One Dell Way
Round Rock, TX 78682

 For further Information and other action ideas, visit the ecopledge.com web site, click on “Company Targets” and then on “Dell.”

For more details on the Take Back Campaign, see www.toxicdude.com or visit the GrassRoots Recycling Network’s site at  www.grrn.org/e-scrap