When the University of Hawai'i recently offered residents the chance for "earth-friendly disposal" of computers and other unwanted electronic waste, organizers figured they'd get a good response. They collected an eye-popping 1.2 million pounds' worth.

State Health Department officials see that response as proof that there is a need in the community and that people would prefer an alternative to tossing old electronics in the trash.

Steven Chang, chief of the solid and hazardous waste branch for the state Health Department, just received the tally a few days ago from that Oct. 28 "eWaste" drive. He said it resulted in the shipment of 51 40-foot-long containers to the Mainland, or 137,000 cubic feet of unwanted equipment that otherwise could have gone into the rubbish.

Larry Wiss, of UH Information Technology Services, helped coordinate that drive with the help of Apple Inc. as the sponsor that paid to ship everything to the Mainland for recycling.

"We received such an incredibly enthusiastic response," Wiss said. He would like to see an annual event like that to help with the problems of disposal in an increasingly electronic-oriented society.

As of last year, the federal Environmental Protection Agency identified most computer monitors and TV screens as hazardous — cathode-ray tubes for lead and flat panels for mercury, Chang said.

Businesses and government are banned from throwing away their old gear but residents can still discard old TVs, outdated computers and other equipment including fax machines, printers and scanners.

Wiss said he knows people are more environmentally aware and want to do the right thing. "E-cycling is the answer. More options are needed," he said.

Zac Appleton of the EPA in San Francisco said national estimates indicate that in 2005, 250 million personal computers were considered obsolete by their owners. Appleton and the Health Department's Chang said many people stash their old equipment in a closet or garage.

In 1998, only 6 percent of obsolete computers were recycled, and since then, "this probably hasn't grown beyond 10 percent," Appleton said, which means the remainder goes to landfills.

"Consumers should be concerned about disposing of their old monitor or TV set in the landfill-destined trash can, because they contain numerous toxic chemicals, such as cadmium, lead, chromium VI and other contaminants of concern like brominated flame retardants," Appleton said.

Experts estimate each cathode-ray tube contains four to six pounds of lead, which is considered a hazardous waste. Many states have proposed legislation that would ban CRTs, including computer monitors and TVs from landfills.

Chang said the pace of electronic equipment growth continues with U.S. Census figures indicating that TV sets outnumber family members in the average household. He said 2003 statistics said the average U.S. household had 2.55 people and 2.73 TV sets.

Currently, there's no scheduled free and official green way for residents and small businesses to dispose of unwanted electronics. Some choose to pay private companies for the disposal. But at an average cost of a dollar or more per pound, that can get expensive.

Chang's office checked some average weights and discovered: a tube-type computer monitor weighed 35 pounds; a flat panel weighed 20 pounds; and a 32-inch TV came in at a hefty 75 pounds.

With a brand-new monitor selling for $79, he said it's easy to see why people would throw away the old one. "It just comes to a matter of cost," he said.

"It's better to put it in the trash than dump it by the side of the road, which, unfortunately, we see people do too much of," Chang added.

Chang said the government debate on what laws to pass to help push better disposal usually splits between two general approaches: producer responsibility (the manufacturers establish take-back programs for their equipment) and an advance recovery fee (charged to the customer at sale, generating funds for government to use for recycling collection and processing).

A recent survey indicated that by the year 2007, 500 million personal computers would be obsolete.

In 2004, California set up an advance recovery fee to subsidize costs of recycling. Last year, Washington state set a different program, Chang said.

State Rep. Hermina Morita, chairwoman of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, this year introduced a bill to create "a state program for collection, recycling, enforcement, and monitoring of covered electronic devices" that would have stopped short of an extra fee at purchase like California.

But she also agreed to postpone action this year. She said the measure lacked enough support now but she's hoping to work with those interested to find a better solution next year.

"It's a growing problem because the obsolescence of equipment is happening so quickly," she said.

City recycling coordinator Suzanne Jones said people are more environmentally conscious, but it's difficult to cope with the big shipping costs of transporting everything to the Mainland to be recycled.

The city used to help coordinate collection drives like the one at UH but stopped when the companies — Island Recycling and Lenox Metals — no longer were able to help at no cost, she said.

She encourages people to use their individual power as consumers: