Title: What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?
Headings: What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?
General Earth Institute
What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?
Why the upsurge in e-waste?
What’s in e-waste?
The state of e-waste recycling
What U.S. laws govern e-waste?
A problem requiring multiple solutions
Designing better products
The right to repair
Extended Producer Responsibility
More convenient recycling
Better recycling
The goal of a circular economy
What you can do about e-waste
Resources
60 Minutes: The Wasteland (e-waste in China)
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Content: By contrast, the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive represents the entire EU market and thus has the clout to set higher standards for all electronic products sold in the EU. Its laws requiring manufacturers to help pay for recycling have resulted in an e-waste recycling rate of 35 percent, higher than that of the U.S.
A federal law in the U.S. could help develop a more robust e-waste recycling infrastructure through setting targets and establishing financing schemes for collection systems and recycling plants. It could also offer a tax break or rebate to companies that process their used devices, and help prevent the export of e-waste to developing countries. However, a federal law is not likely to happen under this administration. A problem requiring multiple solutions
With the flood of e-waste growing around the world, recycling alone will not be enough. Here are some other ideas and solutions that are being researched, considered or practiced around the world. Hopefully, they will inspire more adoption of best practices. Designing better products
In order to reduce e-waste, manufacturers need to design electronics that are safer, and more durable, repairable and recyclable. Most importantly, this means using less toxic materials. Chemical engineers at Stanford University are developing the first fully biodegradable electronic circuit using natural dyes that dissolve in acid with a pH 100 times weaker than vinegar.