Aug 2 - Congressional Resolution Would Ban E-waste Exports to Developing Countries

A resolution was introduced in the US Congress this week requiringthe US to ban the export of e-waste to developing countries. House Resolution 1395 by Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) explains that older cathode ray tube (CRT) TV sets contain as much as four pounds of lead each, with newer LCD TVs containing dangerous levels of mercury. While the resolution doesn't ban all e-waste exports abroad, it will help bring the U.S. closer in line to the Basel Convention, an agreement to regulate the international shipment of toxic waste.

California's E-waste policy passed in 2004 (SB 20) actually explicitly prohibits the export of unprocessed e-waste to non-OECD countries (i.e. developing countries, including China).

What You Can Do

Lanh Nguyen