Statistics show that on average consumers replace their televisions and computers every three to five years. Because technology continues to evolve, that time frame is shrinking.

In California alone, according to a study by the California Integrated Waste Management board, 10,000 computers and televisions are thrown away each year.

Statistics like this hit home for Willow Glen native Steve Hart, who founded Asset Services and Liquidators in 1998. He wanted to keep reusable and recyclable consumer goods out of landfills, so he took his company to another level. An asset management company, ASL's primary function is to work with companies to dispose of their outdated or excess inventories, but Hart soon realized that finding customers to use these discarded products offers a new avenue of revenue in addition to keeping e-waste out of landfills.

Hart says when one of his customers updates his computer equipment or the equipment goes through a remodel, ASL takes the items off the customer's hands and remarkets them instead of throwing them away.

"It's like a food chain; there are many different levels of need," Hart says.

Of particular concern are televisions and computer monitors. Although these devices are not considered hazardous waste, because under normal circumstances they do not present a significant risk to the user, they do pose a threat to the environment if disposed of in solid-waste landfills.

Cathode-ray tubes or CRTs found in computer monitors and televisions protect viewers from harmful x-rays. CRTs, however, can contain anywhere from 4 to 8 pounds of lead, depending on screen size, along with a host of other hazardous materials, including mercury, cadmium and chromium. When the CRT is crushed or burned, these hazardous materials bleed into the soil and groundwater.

For ASL, awareness of this issue is nothing new.

"We've always helped our clients recycle what could not be reused," Hart says. "Sun Microsystems for example, didn't want monitors going into landfills, so I found a company down in Southern California that would recycle them."

Hart decided to see if the business model made sense for ASL after working with the Southern California vendor for a year. He found that more and more of his customers were requesting help getting rid of equipment without putting it in landfills.

"We saw the benefit," he says.

Because electronic equipment is already banned from California landfills, consumers had to pay as much as $15 per item to dispose of their old computer monitors and televisions. This fee was a deterrent to many people who illegally dumped the product or stored it in a garage or attic. The California Integrated Waste Management board estimates there are 6 million computer monitors and televisions piled up in California homes.

This dumping problem led to the passage of the Electronic Waste Recovery Act in 2003. It is the nation's first comprehensive electronics recycling law. Among key elements was the reduction of hazardous substances used in certain electronic products sold in California.

The act established an advance recycling fee that is tacked on to the purchase price of a new computer monitor or television. Retailers began collecting the fee in January 2005 and remitting the funds to the California Board of Equalization. This eliminated the disposal fee for Californians, as long as the purchase and use of the products stayed within the state. The board of equalization pays certified recyclers like ASL to disassemble and recycle the items.

With the law only three months old, ASL employees work in an assembly-line to completely dismantle the television or computer monitor. All plastic casings and metal strapping are removed and recycled. The copper wiring and circuit boards from the inside are recovered and recycled. The screen itself is crushed and a magnet is used to separate the metal from the glass. The glass is boxed and sent to a primary lead smelter, where it is melted down and the lead recovered.

"It takes about six or seven minutes to completely tear down one monitor," Hart says.

The recycling mindset goes beyond Hart's business; his wife, Michele, is also an avid recycler.

"My wife doesn't let me throw anything away," he says.

The couple have been married for 27 years and met while they were students at Willow Glen High School. They enjoy time outdoors, fishing, hiking and getting close to nature. Hart hopes his efforts to salvage, reuse and recycle will help ensure a healthy environment for his three children, Jason, 26, Clifton, 24, and Nicole, 18.

"The mission of ASL is to reuse or recycle everything, so nothing goes into a land-fill," Hart says. "If I can get one thing across to people, it is, 'Take stuff to a recycling center like American Metal and Iron rather than to the dump.' " Any kind of metal, including wire and screens, can be recycled, Hart says, adding that if people don't know where to go to recycle, they can call ASL for guidance.

"It feels good to be a part of helping to clean up California," he says.

ASL is at 524 Brennan St., San Jose. For more information, call 408.468.0237. Consumers can also call 408.468.0230 to arrange for a free pickup or to ask about recycling options. Computer monitors and televisions can be dropped off free of charge Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.