January 2009 Newsbrief
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Julie Schmit reports for USA Today on the improving state of electronic waste recycling
in the United States.
In 2008 Hong Kong intercepted 41 ship containers holding about 1.4 million pounds of electronic waste. Unfortunately,
thousands of other containers likely were delivered without being discovered.
However, 2008 may prove to be a tipping point in the way electronic waste is handled by
US recyclers.
Since the GAO Report on E-Waste was released in August, there have been signs of change emerging:
- 40 recyclers (including Hesstech) have taken the E-Steward pledge not to export to poorer countries
- 82 others are on BAN's waiting list to earn the E-Steward designation
- Many businesses are requesting that their recyclers be E-Stewards
- Many companies are auditing their recyclers
E-Stewards must pass a "desk audit," and hire a trained inspector to complete
a more rigorous audit to become certified. Current E-Stewards are also helping BAN develop its standards to
deter companies from hiding their exports and defrauding their customers.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries supports a different certification. R-2
certification would allow exporting to foreign countries that have high-tech recycling
capabilities.
After the GAO Report was released, the EPA has also begun to increase enforcement of
the 2007 law forbidding export of broekn CRTs without notifying the EPA and country of
destination.
Although the export of e-waste to poor countries will remain a problem for the forseeable future,
the industry is beginning to seriously adopt systems that allow their customers to
know their e-waste is being recycled responsibly.
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