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Green Government

US bill seeks to ban some e-waste exports

By Pia Rufino | 29 July 2011

A bipartisan group of senators and House members in the United States has introduced a bill that would prohibit US companies from exporting hazardous electronic waste to developing nations.

The bill, dubbed the Responsible Electronic Recycling Act, aims to stop US companies from dumping dangerous old electronics to India, China, Nigeria and other nations where electronics are broken apart or burned by workers using few safety precautions, said Representative Gene Green, a Texas Democrat and cosponsor of the bill.

The bill will create a new category of restricted e-waste that cannot be exported to the said countries where some computers, monitors and electronic devices are recycled in primitive conditions.

“E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the US, and it can pose a serious problem in that most e-waste contains toxic chemicals which present environmental and health concerns when not properly handled,” he said in a statement.

Green further said that the legislation will create “green” jobs in the US by keeping e-waste recycling processes in the country.

“There’s a value in used electronic equipment, and currently, there are small, domestic recyclers that process this equipment safely,” he said. “But they have a hard time competing with facilities overseas that have few, if any, environmental and safety standards.”

Roughly 80 per cent of e-waste in the US winds up in the trash, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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