Sidebar: E-waste Resource List

For more information on e-waste disposal, check out the following resources:

Regulatory E-waste Initiatives

• "Restriction on Hazardous Substances" (download PDF)

  This European Union directive requires the phaseout of nine toxic materials from electrical and electronic equipment sold in EU countries by July 1, 2006.

• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (download PDF)

  This EU directive makes manufacturers responsible for end-of-life recycling of their products.

• Electronic Waste Recycling Act

  California SB 20 legislation assesses a $6 to $10 fee at time of sale on display screens greater than a specified size to cover recycling costs. Also bans export of e-waste to developing nations and requires the elimination of some substances from electronic products.

• Hazardous Waste Infrastructure Program Act (H.R. 1165)

  U.S. House bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create a grant program that would assess a $10 fee on computers at time of purchase to "promote the development of a national infrastructure for the recycling of used computers."

• Basel Convention

  United Nations treaty banning the export of e-waste to developing countries. Although 41 nations have ratified the convention, the U.S. has not. Therefore, U.S. companies aren't bound by it.

Advocacy Groups

• Basel Action Network

  Seattle

• Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

  San Jose

Papers and Research Reports

• "EPR2 Baseline Report: Recycling of Selected Electronic Products in the United States"

  This 1999 National Safety Council report, conducted by San Jose-based iSuppli/Stanford Resources, sells for $95. The Web site also includes a list of e-waste recyclers.

• "How to Properly Manage Your Old Electronic Equipment," National Recycling Coalition

  An essential list of questions to ask an IT products recycler before using them. If a recycler can't answer these questions, says Kate M. Krebs, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition, don't use it.

• "Composition of a Personal Desktop Computer," Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

• List of publications on e-waste at American Retroworks Inc.'s Web site

Environmental Certifications and Seals

• TCO

  A Swedish consortia of unions and workers created the TCO-92 certification that's widely used by display manufacturers. Displays and PCs that carry the seal must meet the TCO's criteria for emissions and use of recyclable material.

• Blue Angel (download PDF)

  This labeling system, developed by the German Federal Environment Agency, requires computer products carrying the Blue Angel seal to conform to specific standards for ease of recycling. For example, products can't use brominated fire retardants.

Recycling Organizations and Vendors

• For an extensive database of vendors, visit the National Recycling Coalition's Electronics Recycling Initiative Web site.

• American Retroworks Inc.

  Middlebury, Vt.

• Image Microsystems Inc.

  Austin

• International Association of Electronics Recyclers

  Albany, N.Y.

• RetroBox

  Columbus, Ohio

• Redemtech Inc.

  Hilliard, Ohio

• National Recycling Coalition

  Washington

  This Web site is an excellent source of information on IT product recycling. See also the Recycling Resources page and the database of recyclers mentioned above.

• National Safety Council

  Its 1999 report, "Electronic Product Recovery and Recycling Baseline Report: Recycling of Selected Electronic Products in the United States," offers the only statistics on the problem that all parties in the industry seem to agree on, according to Kate Krebs at the National Recycling Coalition. The widely cited report is available at a cost of $95.