Earth Day challenge: e-waste

SAN FRANCISCO -- When Earth Day dawned in 1970, environmentalists predicted emerging technologies would help reduce reliance on coal, oil, insecticides, and other pollutants. But 35 years later, a big part of the problem appears to be technology itself.

Tons of computers, monitors, television sets, and other electronic gizmos that contain hazardous chemicals, or ''e-waste," may be poisoning people and ground water. Activists say the nation's biggest environmental problem may be the smallest devices; tomorrow is Earth Day, and they've launched campaigns to increase awareness about recycling cellphones, music players, hand-held gaming consoles, and other electronics.

Frequently, consumers in affluent countries simply toss the devices in the trash. ''They're small and lightweight, and the electronics industry markets them as disposable. Whenever you upgrade your [wireless] service, you can get a new flip phone for $50 and they never tell you to recycle the old one," said Kimberlee Dinn, of Washington, D.C.-based Earthworks.

The biggest offenders are cellphones, said Dinn, because they pose a hazardous ''double whammy" to the environment: To build them, gold and other metals must be extracted from mines, while the Environmental Protection Agency ranks hard-rock mining as the nation's leading toxic polluter. Many phones end up in landfills, where they may leak lead and other heavy metals.

In addition, the Texas Campaign for the Environment is asking Apple Computer Inc. to reduce or eliminate recycling fees. Apple charges most US consumers $30 to recycle computers.