A Case Against E-Waste: Where One Country's Trash is not Another Country's Treasure: Developing National E-Waste Legislation to Regulate E-Waste Exportation.
Open AccessA Case Against E-Waste: Where One Country's Trash is Not Another Country's Treasure: Developing National E-Waste Legislation to Regulate E-Waste ExportationOver the past decade, the proliferation of electronic devices in the waste stream has caused an increase in exportation of used electronics to third world countries. As a result of this exportation, several health and environmental issues have manifested. A large percentage of these wastes are shipped to third world countries where the devices are improperly disposed of either through burning or open disposal. The result of such improper disposal is the release of toxic constituents in to the environment. This paper delves in to detail about the toxicity of electronic components, and examines the health and environmental effects of improper disposal of e-waste in third world countries. After discussing the negative implications that improper disposal of e-waste, the paper will examine the current state and local laws that the United States has regarding e-waste disposal, and will discuss the inherent inadequacies. Included in this discussion is an analysis of the success of various state programs and how a proper disposal or recycling scheme should look. The paper then will examine the current national legislation on hazardous wastes, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Then, this paper examines other nations, and their e-waste legislation including the European WEEE and RoHS schemes, and other countries. Finally, this paper lays out a framework for how national legislation within the United States should look, either by amending RCRA or creating entirely new legislation.
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