Geneva, Switzerland | May 8th, 2013

Developing countries joined forces this week to defeat attempts by electronic equipment manufacturers represented by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and industrialized powers including the European Union, US, Japan, and Canada to create loopholes that would allow repairable electronic waste to be exempt from the international Basel Convention hazardous waste trade control procedures.

Read the Media Press Release - 5-8-13

Fails to Stem the 'Toxic Tide' of computers dumped in developing countries

San Francisco, CA. | July 20th, 2011

An Interagency Task Force – chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, and General Services Administration, today released “A National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship.” The report makes a variety of important recommendations to promote green design of electronics, and to improve handling of e-waste coming from federal agencies. According to environmental groups, the report has some good recommendations on green design and on using certified recyclers, but it completely fails to address what is generally recognized as the most serious e-waste problem – e-waste exporting to developing countries.

Read the Media Press Release - 7-20-11

New Report calls for an end to Dumping Government Ships at Sea

Seattle, WA | July 18th, 2011

A new report, “Dishonorable Disposal,” by the Basel Action Network (BAN), and subsequent investigation by The Washington Post, uncovers the wasteful legacy of the U.S. Navy’s ship sinking programs. This first-ever comprehensive analysis of ship ocean disposal by way of target practice exercise or “artificial reefing,” cites new toxicological data demonstrating contamination of seafood, and an economic analysis revealing lost recycling jobs, wasted taxpayer dollars, and squandered resources at the center of the government’s ship disposal program.

Read the Media Press Release - 7-18-11

Target Practice Sinkings Violate Environmental Laws and Squander Valuable Resources

Seattle, WA. | July 12th, 2011

An administrative petition to put a halt to the Navy’s practice of sinking contaminated old vessels in the high seas as part of target practice exercises known as SINKEX was filed today by the Basel Action Network (BAN) and the Sierra Club.

The petition, directed to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, alleges that the decommissioned ships used by the Navy contain a host of toxic materials including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that pose serious threats to the marine environment when sunk. The legal action is timely as the Navy recently announced plans to extend the SINKEX program to the Gulf of Alaska, one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, including commercially important fisheries such as crab, cod, salmon and halibut.

Read the Media Press Release - 7-12-11

Intercon Solutions Denied e-Stewards® Certification for Responsible Recyclers

Chicago, IL. | July 5th, 2011

The Basel Action Network (BAN), a toxic watchdog group, today announced that Chicago Heights, Illinois electronics recycler Intercon Solutions will be the first company denied the e-Stewards certification (www.e-Stewards.org), which is available to electronics recyclers that can demonstrate that they operate in a truly responsible manner. BAN’s denial was based on “compelling evidence” that Intercon Solutions had been engaged in exporting hazardous electronic waste to China.

Read the Media Press Release - 7-5-11

Environmental, Bipartisan and Industry Support

Washington DC, D.C. | June 23rd, 2011

U.S. Representatives Gene Green (D-TX) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) yesterday introduced new legislation – the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act - to stop sham U.S. “recyclers” from dumping electronic waste on developing countries and to promote recycling jobs at home. The bill is supported by environmental groups as well as electronic manufacturers (Dell, HP, Samsung, Apple, and Best Buy), all of which already have policies that prohibit the export of e-waste to developing nations. The bill also has bipartisan support, including sponsors Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Lee Terry (R-NE).

Read the Media Press Release - 6-23-11