Congress looks to tackle abusive e-waste exporting

[DainBramaged]

Computer equipment and consumer electronics products often contain harmful substances that are damaging to human health and the environment. A growing number of states have passed laws that mandate e-waste recycling and safe disposal in order to keep the toxic materials out of landfills. Such policies seem like a win for the environment, but the truth about e-waste recycling is a lot grimier than it looks on the surface.

The e-waste industry has a dirty little secret: a significant number of the companies that provide e-waste recycling and disposal services in the United States are simply shipping our broken junk overseas, where it gets dumped in developing countries. The House of Representatives has introduced a new bill that aims to put the lid on trashy e-waste recycling business practices and improve the quality of electronics recycling programs.

The proposed law establishes export restrictions that limit the conditions under which used electronics can be exported to developing countries. The bill carves out a number of exceptions for refurbishment, reuse, and product recalls, but stipulates that legitimate exporters will have to show proper documentation to demonstrate that they aren't e-waste dumpers.

In addition to the export restrictions, the bill also calls for the formation of recycling research programs that will seek cleaner and more effective ways of recycling rare earth elements and other materials from discarded electronics. The dwindling supply of rare earth elements makes the need for better recycling practices very important.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/congress-looks-to-tackle-abusive-e-waste-exporting.ars