February 24, 2005

Made in Taiwan. Buried in China.

Continued from page 1

By Aleks Krotoski

In other global regions the situation is very different. Europe has already made such trade illegal, and to combat the fallout from persistent cross-border activity, two directives coming into effect in 2005 and 2006 are placing the onus for e-waste disposal on the manufacturers.

The Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) requires manufacturers to pay for the disposal of their own obsolete products and the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) bars the use of certain chemicals in the manufacture of electronic goods.

Gutierrez argues that these directives have already affected the ways international organizations deal with their products.

"We're hearing non-EU countries saying to manufacturers, 'You're doing this for the EU, why can't you do it for us?'," says Guiterrez.

There is little likelihood that there will be any forthcoming change in U.S. policy though, because domestic recycling legislation currently sits at the state-level, while international trade operates federally.

Fewer than 12 states have e-waste regulations.

Massachusetts is particularly proactive in its handling of the situations.  Taking its lead from the Europeans, in 2000 it was the first state to ban CRTs in its landfills, and in 2006, a new law will go into effect requiring manufacturers to collect their consumer products from the customers after use.

In contrast, California recently added a $6-$10 pay point tax to its consumer items to cover the cost of recycling electronic waste.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) doesn't think the California plan will work.

"As we have seen firsthand in California, reliance on back end disposal fees -- such as those currently in place for used tires -- reduces incentives for proper recycling, encourages 'sham' recycling, and results in improper and often illegal disposal which ultimately requires cleanup at a substantial cost to taxpayers," reads the SVTC's 2001 report.

Other states are operating on a wait-and-see basis before they move forward with their own policies.

Arguably, things won't change until consumer demand penetrates manufacturers' profits or U.S. companies start getting stung by international trade fines. BAN is optimistic that the repercussions of the European directives will be felt in U.S. quarters. International and domestic pressure may result in shorter journeys for home-grown consumer electronics refuse in the future.

"Ordinary Americans are starting to ask, 'Why is a European computer cleaner than an American one?'," says Gutierrez.