March 2009 Newsbrief
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Stephanie Condon of cnet.com reports that the House Science and Technology Committee held hearings on draft legislation to fund grants to
higher education programs related to e-waste management. The new bill would also award research and development grants for improved product
design, reuse and recycling of potential e-waste including sustainable design frameworks.
At the hearing held on February 11th, legislators admitted that they themselves
weren't sure how to recycle their old electronics and expressed fear in the quality
of data destruction on reusable drives.
These fears could explain why electronic recycling programs have not been very successful so far.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that
only 18% of e-waste is recycled.
It is hoped the the draft legislation would greatly improve the rate and efficiency of e-waste recycling
through developing a sustainability framework.
View the "Electronic Waste: Investing in Research and Innovation to Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle" Hearing Charter.
Legislation was also introduced in January allowing congressmen to donate their used
computers to public schools. Currently, old computers must be turned over to the
U.S. General Services Administration.
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