Proposed legislation that would ban the export of certain types of electronic waste has divided recyclers, with the largest industry association opposing the ban and a vocal and growing movement supporting it.
The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA), as the bill is known, is a re-introduction of a bill that failed to pass in the last session of Congress. It’s been introduced in both House and Senate, with sponsors or co-sponsors from both Republican and Democratic parties. Neither bill is given any chance of passing in the current Congressional session, due to the preoccupation with the upcoming elections. But given that similar legislation has been introduced in the last three sessions, it’s likely to come up again.
The RERA would outlaw the export of unprocessed e-scrap including computers, phones, televisions and the like, but not including electronic components from scrap automobiles, nor functioning items that are intended for reuse or refurbishment. The prohibition would apply to exports to countries that are not members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a 34-nation group of mostly European industrialized nations.
Source: American Recycler News, Inc.
By Mark Henricks