Opinion: Pima County must address electronic waste in new data center regulations
An opinion piece urges Pima County to include electronic-waste reduction, equipment reuse, recycling, reporting and decommissioning requirements in proposed zoning standards for large data centers. The proposed standards already address energy, water, noise, backup power and land use, while Tucson has adopted a strict zoning framework for hyperscale data centers.
As Pima County develops special zoning standards for large data centers, writer Kevin Greene of Stop Waste Tucson argues that regulators should address the facilities’ full material footprint, including construction waste, discarded servers, batteries, cooling equipment and wiring. He recommends mandatory Waste Reduction and Materials Management Plans covering construction, operations, equipment replacement and eventual closure.
Greene says data center operators should prioritize reducing, repairing, refurbishing and reusing equipment before recycling or disposal, and should report materials generated and recovered each year. The commentary also references a Tucson City Council vote adopting one of the city’s strictest zoning frameworks for hyperscale data centers, while calling on Pima County to make waste prevention and decommissioning requirements conditions of approval.