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Hewlett Packard (HP), in collaboration with the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF), and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa), has launched a groundbreaking initiative to develop sustainable recycling processes to tackle the problem of e-waste in Africa. For the past two years, the initiative has been overseeing a pilot program facility in South Africa and conducting e-waste management assessment studies in both Kenya and Morocco; the goal of the assessments is ultimately to properly determine each country's ability to deal with the e-waste there, whether it arose from electronics that were purchased new within the country and are now reaching their end of life, or from electronics that were shipped illegally from other countries. The project has been examining efforts by both African governments and organizations to safely handle e-waste. The project has been compiling extensive information, such as the policy and legal framework in each country, standard settings for e-waste treatment, organizations and programs already in place to safely process e-waste, and the actual amounts of e-waste present. MediaGlobal article by Shefali Lall, 7/20/09.

UK: The Environment Agency is to lead a new international crime group as part of Interpol to help tackle illegal dumping of electrical waste on developing countries. The Interpol Global Crime Group is a worldwide intelligence-led operation which includes environmental crime investigators in the United States and Europe such as the US Environmental Protection Agency. The group will investigate links between organised criminal networks and the "waste tourists" travelling to countries like Britain to arrange the export of waste to developing countries.

Mumbai, the electronic waste capital of the country, is likely to get an e-waste processing unit run on a public-private partnership model. The unit will be first of its kind in the country and the second in South East Asia, to where India now supplies its e-waste for recovery of precious metals. The core committee under the chairmanship of the state Environment Secretary along with members of Solid Waste Management (SWM) cell of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), decided that a techno-economic feasibility study should be carried out for full-fledged processing of e-waste generated in the region. "The committee decided that a techno-economic feasibility study should be initiated. The concept is to have a comprehensive process to recover precious as well as non-precious metals safely," said Ashwini Bhide, Joint Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. The processing unit will be located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition have joined with Electronic Recyclers International of Fresno to create the "e-Stewards Initiative" - a certification program for North America's most responsible e-waste recyclers. The e-Steward Initiative is described as the first independently audited and accredited electronic waste recycler certification program forbidding the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing countries, local landfills and incinerators; the use of prison labor; and the unauthorized release of private data.The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition have joined with Electronic Recyclers International of Fresno to create the "e-Stewards Initiative" - a certification program for North America's most responsible e-waste recyclers. The e-Steward Initiative is described as the first independently audited and accredited electronic waste recycler certification program forbidding the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing countries, local landfills and incinerators; the use of prison labor; and the unauthorized release of private data.

The Ewaste Foundation's aim is to decrease the e-waste problem and to neutralize the fact that your used electronics, when given a second life in developing countries. Based in the Netherlands.

The world needs global standards for the reuse and recycling of electronic goods to curb growing e-waste exports to developing countries, a recent meeting in the Netherlands heard.

"It seems like every time you turn around a new and better smartphone or HDTV set goes on sale. That's great for consumers who are eager to upgrade to the latest gadgets but it's maybe not so good for the environment. The bad news is 60% of Americans are not recycling their old gadgets. The good news is that resellers and manufacturers are rising to the occasion and implementing their own recycling services. In this Gadget Census report we look at how consumers across the country are being green with gadgets and what is being done to help manage the growing number of devices that are turning into e-waste every day. "

shopgoodwill.com is the first Internet auction site created, owned and operated by a nonprofit organization. It was created and is operated by Goodwill of Orange County (Santa Ana, CA). Participating Goodwill's from across the country offer for auction on the site a wide array of art, antiques and collectibles as well as new and nearly new items pulled from their vast inventories of donated goods. From unique one-of-a-kind items to estate pieces, the depth of resources is enormous. Revenues from these auction sales fund Goodwill's education, training and job placement programs for people with disabilities and other barriers.

The Consumer Electronics Show is the greenest it has ever been so far, writes Maura Judkis of Fresh Greens. Highlights from the show: Toshiba unveiled the Super Charge Battery, which is touted as a longer-lasting battery with a target recharge time of 90 percent in just 10 minutes. The company also said it has teamed up with Sharp and Panasonic to create the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company , which will set up 280 recycling points across all 50 states. The eventual goal is to have a network of over 800 recycling points across the country, making it much easier for businesses and consumers to dispose of electronic waste, writes vnunet.com

E-waste has been in the news a lot lately, with the 60 Minutes expose on toxic electronic waste illegally shipped to other countries, and reports from organizations like the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, who recently traveled to India to track the global e-waste crisis. People are starting to pay more attention to where their electronics go when we lose interest in them.

The Washington bill is what other states wanted,'' said Scott Cassel, executive of the Product Stewardship Institute. Requiring manufacturers to cover the collection and recycling costs will encourage them to design greener products that are less toxic and easier to recycle, he said. ``Here is a state that took a careful, methodical and comprehensive approach and considered various options,'' Cassel said. ``Now state residents will have an electronics recycling system that will become the gold standard for the country.'' A wide and diverse group backed the bill, which also had bipartisan support. Computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., Seattle electronics recycler Total Reclaim Inc., and retailers Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Amazon.com supported the bill. But the bill was far from receiving unanimous backing from electronics manufacturers. The Electronic Industries Alliance communicated its concerns with Washington's legislation. The group, along with 18 of its member companies, such as Dell Inc., IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., did not support the bill. The law does not implement a shared responsibility approach. But rather, it extends the manufacturers' responsibility to finance the end of the life of their products, according to the EIA's remarks to the Washington Legislature. Such a system is inefficient, the group said, and will result in increased costs for Washington consumers.

Prior to the startup of this program, the quality of electronic waste recycling in this state, and across the nation has been questionable at best. While there are a number of reputable firms that handle and recycle electronic components properly, there are other, well-documented cases of companies that collect the items for shipment to Third World countries, where they are crudely picked apart, endangering the health of workers, communities and the environment. The state's electronic waste recycling program, similar to ones developed in 16 other states, is another classic example of the federal government shirking its duties. Rather than a nationwide electronic waste recycling program with uniform rules and regulations, the states are left to fend for themselves. How many times have we seen this scenario play out during the past eight years?

``The Washington bill is what other states wanted,'' said Scott Cassel, executive of the Product Stewardship Institute. Requiring manufacturers to cover the collection and recycling costs will encourage them to design greener products that are less toxic and easier to recycle, he said. ``Here is a state that took a careful, methodical and comprehensive approach and considered various options,'' Cassel said. ``Now state residents will have an electronics recycling system that will become the gold standard for the country.'' A wide and diverse group backed the bill, which also had bipartisan support. Computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., Seattle electronics recycler Total Reclaim Inc., and retailers Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Amazon.com supported the bill. But the bill was far from receiving unanimous backing from electronics manufacturers. The Electronic Industries Alliance communicated its concerns with Washington's legislation. The group, along with 18 of its member companies, such as Dell Inc., IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., did not support the bill. The law does not implement a shared responsibility approach. But rather, it extends the manufacturers' responsibility to finance the end of the life of their products, according to the EIA's remarks to the Washington Legislature. Such a system is inefficient, the group said, and will result in increased costs for Washington consumers.

E-waste: search through any basement, attic or garage in America and you'll likely find some. Old computers and cell phones, your ancient TV that shows only a scratchy black-and-white picture, that broken printer. These are all examples of electronic waste, also known as e-waste - a booming facet of America's waste stream. Americans generate between 5 and 7 million tons of e-waste each year - and the amount is growing three times faster than other types of municipal waste, according to the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association. The association is a nonprofit interstate group of New England states - including New Hampshire - that coordinates waste and pollution prevention programs. Though e-waste itself isn't a new phenomenon, only within about the last eight years have states tried to grapple with how to properly dispose of electronics that contain chemicals harmful to the environment when simply tossed in a landfill or burned in an incinerator. New Hampshire is one of 18 states in the country to have a law regulating e-waste, and the law may soon get a little stricter.

"It is an exciting day," said Sego Jackson, a principal planner for Snohomish County who helped shape the statewide program called E-Cycle Washington. "It's a system that is flipped on its head." Hailed as a huge victory for the environment and electronics-saddled consumers, the legislation was the first of its kind in the country when it passed in 2006.

It's Christmas morning, and there beneath the tree was your new television, sleek and digital. Or maybe it was a new computer. Or the newest electronic gee-whiz gadget. All well and good, but what are you going to do with the old equipment it replaces? Most people - about 88 percent according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - simply toss so-called e-waste into the trash. Given the heavy metals and other toxic substances such equipment contains, that's obviously a bad idea, says the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national consortium of environmental and consumer groups. But, in some cases, doing the seemingly responsible thing - hauling outmoded equipment to a recycler - is as bad as junking it, warned Barbara Kyle, the group's national coordinator. Often, she said, "recycled" electronics are shipped to processors in developing countries, who use primitive techniques to extract valuable metals.

It's Christmas morning, and there beneath the tree was your new television, sleek and digital. Or maybe it was a new computer. Or the newest electronic gee-whiz gadget. All well and good, but what are you going to do with the old equipment it replaces? Most people - about 88 percent according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - simply toss so-called e-waste into the trash. Given the heavy metals and other toxic substances such equipment contains, that's obviously a bad idea, says the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national consortium of environmental and consumer groups. But, in some cases, doing the seemingly responsible thing - hauling outmoded equipment to a recycler - is as bad as junking it, warned Barbara Kyle, the group's national coordinator. Often, she said, "recycled" electronics are shipped to processors in developing countries, who use primitive techniques to extract valuable metals.

Thousands of televisions, computers, cellphones and other electronic gadgets will be relegated to obsolete status during the holiday season as gift-giving brings new technology to homes across the country. Some of those "old" electronics will find a second life through donations or recycling programs, but most will sit in basements or drawers before being sent to landfill or exported overseas. "It's a growing problem," said Shirley Thompson, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba Natural Resources Institute. "These items contain toxic metals and other chemicals and often they are ending up in landfills."

New e-waste recycling laws passed in Oregon and Washington take effect on New Year's Day, requiring electronics manufacturers to recycled old hardware, and promising to spur the growth of responsible e-waste disposal. The laws, which passed in mid-2007 in Oregon and in 2006 in Washington, require manufacturers to pay for the recycling of their electronics products sold in each state, and is expected to collect as much as 12 million pounds of electronics in Oregon and about 25 million in Washington in the first year alone. The new laws are among the toughest in the country, and highlight what e-waste and public health advocates say is the best solution to the country's -- and the planet's -- enormous e-waste problem. As we found in researching electronic waste in 2008's State of Green Business report, the mountain of potentially valuable (and often toxic) electronic waste is growing substantially faster than companies and governments are able to collect and recycle it. In the wake of a harshly critical government report and an eye-opening exposé on television's 60 Minutes newsmagazine, e-waste has spent a lot of time in the limelight this year. And the new laws promise to help turn the tide from what activist groups have called "anarchy" in the e-waste takeback market.

The program is operated by the Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority, a quasi-governmental agency created by the legislation to work with the 200 or so manufacturers that sell computers and televisions in Washington state. In addition, the state Department of Ecology has certified four electronic waste processing firms - two in this state, one in Oregon and one in California - to disassemble the electronic equipment into separate materials for reuse or safe disposal, including glass, plastic, metal and toxic chemicals. The program is designed in part to stem the flow of electronic waste to Third World countries, where it is often dismantled crudely, threatening the environment, public health and the health of workers.