GAO Report: U.S. EPA Turning Blind Eye to Toxic E-Waste Exports

Redemtech President Robert Houghton recently endorsed a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that targets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for lax enforcement practices associated with e-waste disposal. Houghton spoke alongside U.S. Rep. Gene Green of Texas and U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson of California during a press conference in which the congressional representatives praised the government auditor’s new report and criticized the EPA for allowing so-called electronics “recyclers” in the U.S. to ship end-of-lifecycle electronic devices containing toxic substances to developing nations overseas where little regulation or enforcement exists to protect people and the environment in those countries.

Specifically, the 63-page GAO report examines how electronics manufacturers and third-party recyclers manage e-waste. It criticizes the EPA for rarely enforcing the only existing e-waste regulation, which governs cathode-ray tube monitors and televisions, instead permitting companies to outsource their electronics disposal to unregulated third parties, many of which ship e-waste to nations where products are systematically dismantled or destroyed, in some cases by children, using primitive processes that include burning parts in open fire pits and soaking circuit boards in acid to extract precious metals.

The EPA’s method of enforcing e-waste regulations in the U.S. is akin to “putting up a speed limit sign, but no one's writing any tickets,” said Green (D-Texas).

In his remarks, Houghton said many businesses that outsource e-waste disposal may not be aware that their electronics are being mismanaged by the outsourcers they choose, which also raises issues of data security. Houghton condoned efforts by customers that care about where their electronics are disposed, saying that more companies are becoming acutely aware of the dangers posed by e-waste exported to Asia and Africa.

As a result of the lack of enforcement, “recyclers that cheat on their contractual obligations know that they're very unlikely to be caught," Houghton said, according to a Greener Computing article covering the event, which also noted that earlier this summer, Redemtech received IDC's prestigious Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E.) certification.

Only about 5 percent of electronics recyclers refuse to export items containing toxic substances, said Houghton, with far more unethical companies eager to ship scrap to developing countries. Ted Smith, chairman of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which hosted the press conference on the GAO report, said Redemtech's refusal to export toxic e-waste "is vastly different than many other companies."

Additional information about the GAO report can be found here. Coverage of the press conference and Redemtech’s efforts to stop e-waste export and landfilling is included in the following news items:

Not in My Backyard: Stopping Illegal Export of Junked Televisions and Computers
American Scientific, 11-19-08

'Recyclers' Illegally Exporting Electronic Waste
The Epoch Times, 11-19-08

E-Waste: The Dirty Secret of Recycling Electronics
BusinessWeek, 10-15-08

Passing The Recycling Buck
Chemical & Engineering News, 9-29-08

GAO: U.S. exports harmful e-waste to other countries
Computerworld, 9-18-08

EPA's E-Waste Policies Result in 'Anarchy,' Report Finds
Greener Computing, 9-18-08

Trashed Tech Dumped Overseas: Does U.S. Care?
Scientific American, 9-19-08

GAO Slams EPA for Turning Blind Eye to Toxic E-Waste Exports
E-Commerce Times, 9-18-08

GAO blasts EPA enforcement of e-waste disposal regulations
San Francisco Examiner, 9-19-08

EPA Lets Electronic Waste Flow Freely, GAO Report Says
Washington Post, 9-17-08

GAO report torches US for dumping electronic waste in foreign countries
Network World, 9-17-08

Report: U.S. lax on exports of toxic e-waste from old e-gear
USA Today, 9-17-08

Our electronic waste creating problems in other countries
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9-17-08

Probe sees poor US policing of electronic exports
Associated Press, 9-17-08

Congress eyes restrictions on exporting e-waste
CNET, 9-18-08

U.S. needs to crack down on export of e-waste, GAO study says
San Jose Mercury News, 9-17-08

Some E-Waste Just Being Shipped Overseas
PC Magazine, 9-17-08