The public has the right to know
where their e-waste goes

Solutions

I suppose you are all wondering after seeing the PBS piece or reading the articles, what is a solution to the problem we all face: What CAN I do with my old computer or phone or printer etc. when it dies on me.

No, don’t throw it in the trash, No don’t store if forever in your closet. We must reward those recyclers that have agreed to be held to the most rigorous standard — e-Stewards.

e-Stewards is the only Certification Standard that adheres to the international law on trade in hazardous waste and thus prohibits using developing countries as destinations for toxic e-waste. This is the law of the land in most of the world but not in the US because the US government refuses to ratify! this agreement). The R2 Standard refuses to do this and the state government programs cannot do this. And while it is true that there have been some companies we have caught cheating in our program — we have revoked their certification with all urgency. We cannot punish the rest of our ethical recyclers because of a few bad apples. The e-Stewards Program is supported by major cities and and Enterprises including Seattle, San Francisco, Kansas City, Bloomberg, Boeing, Alcoa, Wells Fargo, etc. Please use e-Stewards Recyclers and Refurbishers — Find them here at: www.e-Stewards.org

Photo (above): Junkyard full of American computer printers in New Territories, Hong Kong.