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The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) Pollution Prevention Program works to leverage the buying power of large institutions in order to expand the market for "greener" electronic products that encourages the development of a sustainable, socially responsible production system in the electronics sector. Currently the Pollution Prevention Program is focused on the health care sector, partnering with the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) campaign, to encourage SF Bay Area hospitals and national health care organizations to adopt more environmentally preferable purchasing, management and disposal practices for their electronic equipment. CEH also provides purchasing assistance to institutions from other sectors such as government and private industry, partnering with other coalitions such as the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC). CEH integrates the resources and expertise of ETBC in electronics with the experience and knowledge of HCWH in procurement in order to influence the purchasing decisions of large institutions in healthcare, government and academia towards more environmentally responsible electronics. Contact Sue Chiang, Pollution Prevention Program Director, 510.655.3900 x311, sue[at]cehca.org or Judy Levin, Pollution Prevention Program Coordinator, 510.655.3900 x316, judy[at]cehca.org with any questions.

Southeast Kansas Recycling, Inc. has asked for a loan of $85,700 to institute household hazardous waste and electronic waste disposal programs.

The emerging category of "green" electronics has captured consumers' attention in the past year. They are beginning to understand the various environmental and health impacts of the plethora of devices they interact with on a daily basis, according to research from the Natural Marketing Institute. Consumers are most anxious that their devices are difficult to recycle, but their concern differs by device, with almost 60 percent of consumers concerned that televisions are difficult to recycle, and only slightly over 40 percent of consumers stating that phones are difficult to recycle, according to the 2008 LOHAS Consumer Trends Database.

"EPA's DfE Program and the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) entered into a voluntary partnership with representatives of the wire and cable industry to evaluate the environmental impacts of the current standard material formulations and alternative formulations. Specifically, the partnership used a life-cycle assessment approach to examine the impacts of heat stabilizers, polymer systems and flame retardants used in insulation and jacketing for selected wire and cable products. This information will address the information gap on the environmental impacts of the different materials used in wire and cable insulation, and help companies make environmentally sound product and material choices."

Scientific American, 7/17/09, article by Larry Greenemeier. Most people assume that their trash ends up in a landfill somewhere far away (if they think about this at all). But growing concern over the environmental impact of waste-discarded electronics, in particular-has prompted a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to take a high-tech approach to studying exactly what people are tossing out and where those items are ending up. The researchers, part of MIT's Senseable City Lab, have developed electronic tags that they're hoping as many as 3,000 volunteers in Seattle and New York City will affix to different items they throw away this summer as part of the Trash Track program. These tags will contact cell phone towers they pass as they flow through the trash stream to their final destinations, helping the researchers monitor the patterns and costs of urban disposal.

Proceedings for the Institution of Civil Engineers, Municipal Engineer 162, June 2009, Issue ME2, pages 79-85. Written by J. Ye, S. Kayaga, & I. Smout. This paper provides a situational analysis and discusses the basic elements of the existing legislative framework for e-waste management in China. The paper concludes with an analysis of opportunities and challenges that exist in improving the enabling/regulatory environment for a hazardous but valuable commodity in a fast-growing economy.

6/30/09. Wisconsin businesses, institutions, local governments and organizations involved in recycling and refurbishing unwanted electronics have new tools to help them comply with state and federal regulations and plan successful electronics collection events. Includes information & links to a new WDNR guidance document, which ummarizes requirements that have been in effect since 2007 and includes a flow chart to help electronics handlers determine which regulations apply to them. Also includes links to a document providing tips for hosting a successful electronics recycling event.

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