Daily Democrat - E-waste recycling bill introduced

In response to growing concern about the proper disposal of an increasing number of discarded consumer electronic products, congressman Mike Thompson and Gene Green have introduced the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011, to prohibit the exportation of some electronics whose improper disposal may create environmental, health, or national security risks.

In 2008, the Government Accountability Office reported that many of the developing nations that receive e-waste from the United States do not have the capacity or facilities to safely recycle and dispose of these used electronics.

The legislation, H.R. 2284, would address this growing problem.

"Each year, millions of tons of electronics equipment are discarded in the U.S. and shipped to developing nations for unsafe salvage and recovery," said Rep. Thompson, a Democrat who represents the 1st Congressional District.

Specifically, H.R. 2284 creates a new section of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that prohibits the export of "restricted electronic equipment" from the U.S. to developing nations. In defining restricted electronic equipment, the bill lists several toxic materials, the presence of which would cause covered equipment to be considered restricted waste. The bill calls for the EPA to set de minimis levels for these toxic substances and clarifies that material streams such as plastics, metals, and glass that do not contain hazardous chemicals above the minimum levels may be exported.