Jieyang Sigma Metal Plastic Inc., a parent company of J.S. Chen Recycling of Toronto, pleaded guilty late last month to three charges of violating Canadian environmental laws regarding the export of e-scrap. The company paid $30,000 in fines. The penalties against the company, which could not be reached for comment, are the results of an investigation conducted by Environment Canada in concert with Transport Canada that began in the fall of 2007.

The charges stem from an inspection at the Port of Vancouver, where officials examined two containers and found about 1,200 used lead acid batteries and seven CRT monitors inside. One container had been refused entry by China due to a shipping error, and was subsequently sent back. The second was destined to Hong Kong, but never left the port in Vancouver.

N.W. Cole Associate Appraisers Limited also pleaded guilty late last month to a similar charge, and paid a $10,000 penalty. The prosecution came after a nearly two year investigation by Environment Canada into the Halifax-based company, which arose from an inspection that turned up old computer and electronic parts. The charges against N.W. Cole Associate, which could not be reached for comment, related to a lack of a permit for the exportation of e-scrap.

Full Article: http://resource-recycling.com/node/951

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GAO Calls for Better Control of Electronic Scrap Exports

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report that calls for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to better control the export of harmful old electronics through stronger enforcement and more comprehensive regulation.

Items with cathode-ray (CRTs) tubes are particularly harmful, according to the GAO summary, because they can contain 4 pounds of lead per unit. To prevent the export of these devices, in January 2007 the EPA began regulating the export of CRTs under its CRT rule, which requires companies to notify EPA before exporting CRTs.

The GAO studied the fate of exported used electronic devices, the effectiveness of regulatory controls governing their export and options to strengthen federal export regulation. The GAO also reviewed waste management surveys in developing countries, monitored e-commerce Web sites and posed as foreign buyers of broken CRTs. 

The GAO suggests expanding hazardous waste regulations to cover other exported used electronics; submitting a legislative package to Congress for ratifying the Basel Convention, an international regime governing the import and export of hazardous wastes; and working with Customs and Border Protection and other agencies to improve identification and tracking of exported used electronics. “Options such as these could help make U.S. export controls more consistent with those of other industrialized countries,” according to the GAO.

Article Link:

http://www.recyclingtoday.com/articles/article.asp?Id=7582&SubCatID=20&CatID=8

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July 31, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chairman Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), a founding member of the Congressional E-waste Working Group introduced a resolution today (H.Res. 1395) expressing the opposition of the U.S. House of Representatives to the federal policy allowing toxic electronic waste, or “e-waste” exports to developing nations. The resolution also calls for the U.S. to join other developed nations to ban such trade.

“We have introduced this resolution today to draw Congressional and public attention to this pressing problem,” Green said. “Many Americans are unaware that discarded electronics contain lead, mercury, and other toxics and end up being salvaged under inhumane conditions in the developing world.”

“I am encouraged by the efforts to improve e-waste recycling in the U.S., but progress is an illusion when ‘recycling’ means exporting e-waste to be picked over by scavengers under hazardous conditions,” Green said.

“If we export our e-waste improperly, it can come back to haunt us,” Green said. “Instead, we should create jobs by recycling it properly at home.”

See full article here:

http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx29_green/20080731ewaste.html

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Earlier, I supported a US House Resolution to ban the export of toxic e-waste to developing countries. That resolution was turned into a bill by Rep Greene that I can now no longer support. I understand this bill will be introduced this Friday, May 22. I urge our legislators to NOT co-sponsor this legislation and instead ask Rep. Greene and the other co-authors to strengthen the bill to match the intent of the original resolution – to stop the dumping of toxic e-waste on developing countries not equipped to safely and sustainably handle this material.

The main issue I have with the bill is the last exception to the ban on exports of used electronic equipment or parts. It essentially creates a huge loophole that allows anyone who claims the e-waste they ship to developing countries is “intended” for repair and reuse.  I know of many companies in the industry who ship equipment to China where it is clear there is no chance the majority of this equipment would actually get repaired and refurbished. Instead, it pollutes countries that are powerless to stop the tide of these toxins.

For full article, click here: 

http://www.computerrecyclingblog.com/

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