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Bill Bans E-Waste Exports
The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011, if passed, will prohibit e-waste products from being shipped to other countries.
A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress that would prohibit certain e-waste products from being shipped to other countries, including flat screens for TVs, LCDs and LEDs.
E-waste exported to developing countries, like China and Ghana, is often dangerously dismantled and burned, resulting in hazardous conditions for both people and the environment.
The new legislation, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011 (H.R. 2284), was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), and was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The bill has received support from some republicans, as well as electronic companies including Dell, HP, Apple, Samsung and Best Buy.
Creation of Green Jobs
Green calls the legislation a green jobs bill by keeping the processing of recycled electronics in the United States. Thompson said e-waste has become a national security issue, as a PBS Frontline report from 2009 (watch video below) found computers from the U.S. government in Ghana, where hackers routinely access information off of hard drives, even those where the data has been deleted.
A similar bill was introduced in September of 2010, but it was too late in the Congressional session for the bill to advance. This time, the bill has added a provision for research into the recycling and recovery of rare earth metals from electronics.
E-Waste That Can't Be Exported
If it becomes a law, the act would establish a new category of “restricted electronic waste” that cannot be exported from the U.S. to developing nations.
“Restricted electronic waste” is defined as including:
E-waste exported to developing countries, like China and Ghana, is often dangerously dismantled and burned, resulting in hazardous conditions for both people and the environment.
The new legislation, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011 (H.R. 2284), was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), and was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The bill has received support from some republicans, as well as electronic companies including Dell, HP, Apple, Samsung and Best Buy.
Creation of Green Jobs
Green calls the legislation a green jobs bill by keeping the processing of recycled electronics in the United States. Thompson said e-waste has become a national security issue, as a PBS Frontline report from 2009 (watch video below) found computers from the U.S. government in Ghana, where hackers routinely access information off of hard drives, even those where the data has been deleted.
A similar bill was introduced in September of 2010, but it was too late in the Congressional session for the bill to advance. This time, the bill has added a provision for research into the recycling and recovery of rare earth metals from electronics.
E-Waste That Can't Be Exported
If it becomes a law, the act would establish a new category of “restricted electronic waste” that cannot be exported from the U.S. to developing nations.
“Restricted electronic waste” is defined as including:
- Cathode ray tubes (CRT) or CRT glass
- Cathode ray tube phosphor residues or dusts
- Lamp or other device containing mercury phosphor
- Batteries containing lead, cadmium, or mercury
- Switches or any other devices containing mercury
- Hexavalent chromium
- Items containing antimony, barium, cadmium, lead, thallium, beryllium, arsenic, or selenium, including circuit boards, printer drums, LCDs, flat-screen glass and LEDs
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About the Author
Steven Castle is a writer, editor, and humorist who recently completed Filthy Rich Things, a savage satire on our thirst for success and wealth. He is Electronic House's senior editor and co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.
2 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
This has to be one of the most depressing videos i have seen in my life.
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
So let me get this straight… Americans are no longer allowed to pay foreign governments to store their toxic waste? We now have to pay Americans a fair wage to properly recycle and dispose of items that can damage the environment if they were to be… i dont know.. dumped in the middle of some town where children could pick thru it?
I know that example is extreme and no human beings would be stupid enough to do that but… errrr huh? What do you mean we are doing that? You mean we are dumping the waste in the middle of nowhere and allowing poor children to sort thru it? Am i being punked? Where are the cameras? Who put you up to this?