tin isn't biodegradeable.
The majority of electronics parts are RoHS compliant simply by
changing the material they coat the packaging with. Cases of tin/lead
are simply tin. gold is ok. Mercury isn't a longevity granting
compound either. RoHS only covers products where the materials in
question are not specifically required for their function. Mercury
switches can be made exempt, small capacitors that require lead as the
dielectric are exempt. Metal leads on resistors don't require
tin/lead coating, so the lead must be moved. The materials covered by
RoHS are restricted, not eradicated. Several US states, a couple of
canadian provinces are also working on similar legislation, not
guaraneteed to be exactly the same. China just recently came out with
it's own variant, which is broader in scope and has more focus on
labelling.
Your SB will not become biofuel any time soon. The whole idea is not
to have the worst offending materials end up in landfills, and one
doesn't have to look far to start finding the early signs of broader
measures to control the increasingly disposable nature of products.
-kdf
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