federal legislative campaign: ban e-Waste export

The U.S. EPA estimates 82% of our e-waste ends up in domestic landfills or incinerators. Consumer electronics already make up an estimated 40% of the lead and 70% of heavy metals in landfills, potentially contaminating our water.

The remaining 18% of U.S. e-waste is documented as recycled. Alarmingly, an estimated 50-80% of this is actually exported by unscrupulous "sham recyclers." In developing nations like Ghana, Nigeria, China, India, Pakistan and Vietnam, exported e-waste is dumped, burned, and processed under very crude conditions that result in toxic exposure to workers and communities. In one Chinese e-waste scrap center, more than 70% of the children have lead poisoning.

Exported e-scrap can also create public health threats here at home; for instance, e-waste exported to China appears to be a source of the lead used to make children’s jewelry, which is then imported back to the U.S. A 2010 report also indicates high levels of cadmium, another toxic metal found in electronics, in low-cost children’s jewelry made in China. Exported e-waste even provides a source for black-market counterfeit computer chips, which are installed in U.S. military equipment—putting our troops in harm’s way!

TCE is working with the national Electronics TakeBack Colaition to pass federal legislation to put an end to this harmful practice. Gene Green, a U.S. Congress Member from Houston, introduced a bill in 2010 to ban e-cyclers from exporting toxic electronic waste. We're working to have a similar bill re-introduced in 2011. One key part of the strategy to pass this bill is securing support from electronics companies. We've worked successfully to convince Dell, HP, Apple and Best Buy to support strong federal legislation. Now we're encouraging Walmart, as a leading electronics retailer, to support the bill as well. You can help today by putting consumer pressure on Walmart to get on board.

Click here to take action!

A PBS Frontline report documents how toxic e-waste slips out of this country destined for crude scrap operations overseas - click here to watch.

The Government Accountability Office, a watchdog for U.S Congress, issued a comprehensive report in 2008 -- read the report here. Shortly after this report, an excellent 60 Minutes story highlighted the problem as well. Click here to view this and another video from the Basel Action Network.