Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI)

"According to the Consumer Electronics Association, digital television sales are up over 30 percent compared to this time last year.TV sales are getting a big boost from the mandatory switch to digital TV signals.And while an estimated 76,000 households in Chicago still aren't prepared for the change, come tomorrow, TV's going digital anyway. So what happens to all those old TVs being kicked to the curb? Melville Nickerson is a staff attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center explains what to do with them." Chicago Public Radio, Eight Forty-Eight, 6/11/09. Podcast.

Basel Action Network (BAN) Toxic Trade News, 6/10/09. "The Environmental Protection Agency filed a legal Complaint and Compliance Order late last week against EarthEcycle, the electronic waste handler for several charity e-waste collection events held in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in recent days. Basel Action Network (BAN) tracked 7 sea-going containers of the collected toxic e-waste to Hong Kong and South Africa after assurances were made by EarthEcycle owner, Mr. Jeffrey Nixon, that the wastes would be recycled locally. The EPA complaint cites 7 violation counts for illegal management and exportation of 'Cathode Ray Tubes' - the picture tube of old computer monitors and TVs. The counts include 'unauthorized export of hazardous waste' and 'failure to prepare a hazardous waste manifest.'" Article also reports on the decision of certain charities to continue their fundraising relationships with EarthECycle despite allegations of illegal exportation of waste.

Article by June Ng, 6/12/09 edition of HK Magazine. "Every year Hong Kong produces more and more harmful electronic waste, but we only have a voluntary e-waste recycling scheme." Discusses e-waste problem from Hong Kong's perspective; includes some statistics specific for Hong Kong on electronic device use, as well as e-waste generation, recycling and fate.

Waste & Recycling News, 6/10/09 edition. "LGE MobileComm USA, a unit of LG Electronics Inc., is teaming up with San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit to provide mobile phone recycling. LG began outfitting six BART stations in San Francisco with cell phone collection receptacles to encourage commuters to recycle their phones, chargers and accessories. The sites will accept any manufacturer's devices through July 6. Only 10% of the mobile phones sold in the United States are recycled, according to the company."

Associated Press via Forbes, 6/9/09. The Wisconsin Senate has approved (23-10) a bill that would require electronics manufacturers to arrange for recycling of their products.Under Wisconsin's bill, dumping e-waste in landfills would be banned. Manufacturers would have to arrange to recycle 80 percent of the total weight of products they sold in the state in a given year. They also would have to pay up to $5,000 annually to register with state environmental officials.

From 6/9/09 edition of Waste & Recycling News. More press coverage of EarthECycle own Jeff Nixon's response to the recent expose by BAN and ETBC. According to this article, Nixon further challenges "e-Steward companies, as well as all other U.S. electronics recyclers, to a national fundraiser to use the proceeds to clean up all electronic waste sites."

Andy Sheehan of KDKA (Pittsburgh) interviews Jeff Nixon, owner of EarthECycle, an electronics recycling company that is the focus of recent expose by BAN and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. Nixon denies any wrong doing and expresses his intent to conduct more e-waste fundraising events, such as the one examined in the BAN/ETBC report. (see http://www.ban.org/Library/PittsburghScam.pdf)

Report published by the Basel Action Network (BAN) & the Electronics Takeback Coalition describing a scandal involving a free electronics collection held as a benefit for a charity. According to the report, items collected were shipped overseas despite assurances by the recycling firm that all e-waste they collect is kept within the U.S. for processing. (PDF Format; Length: 18 pages).

One of the thorniest problems with Green IT is what to do with all the computers, monitors, hardware, and other electronics your company no longer needs. You may think that you've solved the problem by choosing a responsible recycler or asset management firm. But according to a recent 60 Minutes segment, that e-waste may end up in unregulated toxic waste dumps in China that foul the land, water, and air, cause cancers and miscarriages, and endanger children. Includes video of a 60 minutes segment following the illegal trail of e-waste from a recycler in Colorado to China. Article by Preston Gralla, Greener Computing, 11/19/08.

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) promotes green design and responsible recycling in the electronics industry. Its goal is to protect the health and well being of electronics users, workers, and the communities where electronics are produced and discarded by requiring consumer electronics manufacturers and brand owners to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products, through effective public policy requirements or enforceable agreements. ETBC plans to accomplish this goal by establishing extended producer responsibility (EPR) as the policy tool to promote sustainable production and consumption of consumer electronics (all products with a circuit board). The Campaign will focus first on establishing EPR for personal computers.

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in Basel, Switzerland on 22 March 1989. The Convention was initiated in response to numerous international scandals regarding hazardous waste trafficking that began to occur in the late 1980s. The Convention entered into force on 5 May 1992 and today has its Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. BAN web page. Includes country status table; text of the treaty in English, French & Spanish; Conference of the Parties Reports; Competent Authorities list; and a link to the Basel Secretariat.

A comprehensive free information resource for large and small companies seeking to align environmental business practices with business success. Greener Computing reports on green IT, virtualization, e-waste, technology and the environment.

Environmental groups and some electronics recyclers are opposed to a federal electronic scrap bill that would allow recyclers to export units to developing countries for repair or refurbishing. Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced House Resolution 2595 in U.S. House of Representatives. The measure is aimed at prohibiting exports of certain types of electronic scrap. But it does not go far enough, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and the Basel Action Network. Waste & Recycling News, 6/2/09.

RSS feed for compilation of electronic waste resources available on the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) web site

Compilation on Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) web site that includes links to relevant online documents, legislation, news, events, funding opportunities, help desk questions & answers, and contacts.

This bill proposes to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for electronic device recycling research, development, and demonstration projects, and for other purposes. Passed the U.S. House of Representatives and has been received by the Senate, as of 5/28/09. This page links to the full text of the bill and outlines bill actions.

Text of e-waste legislation signed by mayor of New York City 4/1/08. New York City is the first municipality to pass an e-waste recycling bill; the law requires manufacturers of certain electronic equipment to create a collection program for any person in the City who wants to properly discard of their electronics. The bill also bans e-waste from disposal into the City's solid waste stream. Devices covered include: CPUs, computer monitors, computer accessories including keyboards and mice, laptop computers, TVs, printers, and portable music players.

Illinois e-waste legislation that requires manufacturers to establish facilities to accept e-waste from consumers. The law is on a rolling basis and over the next few years the recycling requirements will kick in and by 2012, disposal of certain e-waste in municipal waste and sanitary landfills and at incinerators will be prohibited. The E-Waste Act only applies to electronic equipment taken out of use from residences, but it affects many of the businesses involved in the stream of electronic commerce. There is a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each day of violation. Devices covered in the legislation include computers, cell phones, televisions, PDAs, printers, fax machines, game consoles, VCRs, DVD players, iPods and others (calculators and typewriters are NOT included).

Waste & Recycling News, 5/28/09. Texas Gov. Rick Perry will have on his desk a bill requiring television manufacturers to provide Texas residents with free and convenient recycling for their old units. Proponents of the bill say it will help keep the 4 to 8 pounds of lead in cathode-ray tube televisions and the mercury in flat-screen TVs out of the environment. Televisions also contain brominated fire retardants and other hazardous chemicals.

A list and brief overview of the major e-waste recycling legislation that has been passed in other states (besides California). Includes links to text of legislation.