Aug. 12
The Government Accountability Office has issued a new report on electronic waste recycling, looking to see if a national, Basel Convention-compliant approach would be preferable to the state-by-state approach currently being developed in the U.S.
"To varying degrees the entities typically regulated under the state laws -- electronics manufacturers, retailers and recyclers -- consider the increasing number of state laws to be a compliance burden. In contrast, the five states the GAO visited, state and local solid waste management officials expressed overall support for states taking a lead role in the absence of a national approach," the reportīs introduction states.
While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promotes voluntary efforts to recycle e-waste, the GAO report notes, states have enacted their own regulatory systems in absence of federal guidelines. In the report, the GAO looks at the EPAīs efforts, the views of industry, recyclers, and state authorities, and in the end suggests the EPA work with other environmental agencies to submit a Congressional proposal to ratify the Basel Convention.
The full report may be read at www.gao.gov, titled, "Considerations for Promoting Environmentally Sound Reuse and Recycling."
Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com
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