- THE PROBLEM WITH ELECTRONICS
- Problem Overview
- Quickly Obsolete
- Hard to Recycle
- E-Waste Badly Managed
- OUR WORK FOR SOLUTIONS
- Overview
- Producer Takeback
- Green Design
- Responsible Recycling
- Legislation and Policy
Electronics Recycling Guide
Wondering what to do with your old computers, phones, televisions, and other gadgets?
Go to our Guide To Recycling Your Electronics. The guide shows how you can find responsible recyclers in your state plus information on the manufacturers' and retailers' takeback services.
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E- Waste Facts & Figures
Looking for statistics on electronic waste? Check our our Facts and Figures on Electronic Waste.
E-Waste Collection Volumes By State
How much e-waste is coming back under the state mandated programs? This summary includes the first quarter results from the new Washington and Oregon programs.
New York is 23rd State To Pass E-Waste Recycling Law
Lawsuit against New York City law moot
May 29, 2010. New York Governor David Patterson signed into law a strong producer responsibility bill, that holds manufacturers responsible for collecting and recycling e-waste from consumers, including individuals, schools, municipalities, small businesses, and small non-profits in New York State. The law sets collection goals based on sales of electronics.
Because it pre-empts the New York City e-waste law, the electronics industry's lawsuit against the City's takeback law is expected to be dismissed.
Read NRDC announcement.
Businesses Pledge to Use Only e-Steward Certified Recyclers
(April 15) Several U.S. corporations, including Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America and Capital One showed that they value responsible e-waste recycling today by publicly announcing their commitment to use recyclers who are part of the e-Stewards program, run by the Basel Action Network (BAN), a partner group in the Electronics TakeBack Coalition.
In an industry where recyclers routinely dump our used electronics in developing nations, the e-Stewards program gives companies and consumers a way to distinguish the responsible recyclers from the “fake” recyclers. The fake recyclers always claim to be doing the right thing, so it’s difficult for anyone except experienced auditors to know if a company is exporting. More on e-Stewards
Read BAN's Press release
Find an e-Steward
"Fake" recycling means e-waste ends up in in places like this stream in Ghana. Photo © BAN 2009
HP Announces New Policy
To Ban E-Waste Exports
(Feb 11, 2010) HP has announced a new policy stating that they will not export non-working electronics from developed countries to developing nations. This is a significant announcement, as another electronics manufacturer makes it clear that sending non-working electronics from the U.S. to developing nations is an unacceptable way to handle our e-waste problem. Dell made a similar announcement in the summer of 2010.
CAMPAIGN NEWS
EPA Names E-Waste as Priority International Issue
Aug. 17, 2010. EPA Adminstrator Lisa Jackson listed "cleaning up e-waste" as one of the agency's six top international priorities. More.
Industry Lawsuit Against New York City E-Waste Law Dismissed
June 28, 2010. A federal court judge dismissed the lawsuit by the electronics industry against the New York City e-waste law. More.
Healthcare Giants Endorse Strong Environmental Standards for Electronic Equipment
May 12. Kaiser Permanente and Catholic Healthcare West, two leading nonprofit healthcare organizations, today announced their commitment to the nation’s strongest environmental standards for purchasing and managing information technology equipment used in their hospitals. Read more from Center from Environmental Health.
Vermont passes first state e-waste law of 2010
Vermont became the 21st state to pass an e-waste recycling law, as Gov. Jim Douglas signed S 77 into law on April 19. The law established producer responsibility for collecting and recycling e-waste from households, charities, school district and small business in the state.
Resolution Calls on Congress to Handle Its E-Waste Using Certified e-Stewards
Representative Mike Thompson introduced a resolution that calls on Congress to craft a plan to deal with its own e-waste, only using recyclers certified to the new e-Stewards Standard – the highest in the industry. More
EPA Fines Fake Recycler - Supreme Asset Management & Recovery
The EPA fined Supreme Asset Management and Recovery of New Jersey $199,900 for illegally exporting monitors to Hong Kong. More
PBS' Frontline Covers
E-Waste Export in "Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground"
