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Resources

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EPA-Related Programs

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Exit EPA is a tool designed to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, laptops and monitors based on their environmental attributes with qualified product designations of bronze, silver, or gold.

Design for the Environment Program works with electronics manufacturers to incorporate environmental considerations into product design.

Energy Star promotes energy-efficient products through its labeling and education program.

Plug-In To eCycling is a partnership program between EPA and electronic manufacturers and retailers to increase awareness on ecycling and offer consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used electronics. The program’s initiatives are intended to reflect shared responsibility among manufacturers, retailers, governments and consumers and illustrate how voluntary industry-led models or public-private partnerships can complement or provide models for state or municipality-led collection and recycling efforts. 

WasteWise Program challenges its partners to set goals for reducing electronics and other wastes.

Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Exit EPA is a partnership program that encourages federal facilities and agencies to: purchase greener electronic products; reduce impacts of electronic products during use; and manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally responsible manner.

GreenIT highlights EPA’s activities on reducing the environmental footprint of information technology.

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E-Waste Guides/Good Management Practices

Responsible Recycling Practices
This page provides information about the document Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices for Use in Accredited Certification Programs, which provides a set of guidelines for accredited certification programs to assess electronics recyclers’ environmental, worker health and safety, and security practices. Since January 2006, EPA has facilitated a multi-stakeholder group consisting of states, e-manufacturers, e-recyclers, trade associations and public interest groups to develop the Responsible Recycling Practices.

Recycling Technology Products: An Overview of E-Waste Policy Issues Exit EPA
This 2006 Department of Commerce report was designed to assist lawmakers and policymakers in engaging in an informed debate as they consider future action on a potential electronics recycling system that affects the technology industry and its stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, and consumers. The report summarizes stakeholders’ views and concerns, leads the reader through the different components of a recycling system, and analyzes the most commonly discussed models for financing a national recycling system.

Guidelines for Materials Management
These guidelines for end-of-life electronics materials management lay out the framework for partnering with EPA through the Plug-In To eCycling Campaign.

Federal Electronics Challenge: Questions to Ask a Recycler (PDF) (5 pp, 112K) Exit EPA
This checklist, aimed primarily at Federal agencies, provides a list of questions for the selection of electronic recycling vendors and services. Additional resources and references are included.

Guidance Manual on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Wastes (PDF) (69 pp, 3.7MB) Exit EPA
Developed by the OECD, this manual provides guidance to countries on implementing Environmentally Sound Management of Waste as outlined in OECD recommendations. Each OECD recommendation is discussed, as well as a detailed overview of ESM of waste.

Guidance Document: Environmentally Sound Recycling of Electronics (PDF) (15 pp, 139K) Exit EPA
Electronics Product Stewardship Canada developed this document to educate and inform about the environmental, legal, health and safety hazards associated with recycling end-of-life electronics.

Donate or Recycle Electronics: eCycle (PDF) (2 pp, 1.5MB)
This brochure describes the Plug-In To eCycling campaign and provides resources for recycling your unwanted electronic equipment; the insert encourages cell phone recycling.

Electronics: A New Opportunity for Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling (PDF) (4 pp, 987K)
This fact sheet provides an overview of electronics waste prevention, reuse, and recycling.

Plug-In To eCycling Tool Kit
The Plug-In To eCycling Event Tool Kit for consumer electronics recycling events provides local governments, non-profit organizations, electronics manufacturers and retailers, and other interested groups with key information to help them stage electronics recycling events.

BMPs for Electronic Waste (PDF) (81 pp, 523K) Exit EPA
The California Integrated Waste Management Board released this report on best management practices for e-waste.

Tools for Environmentally Sound Management (PDF) (124 pp, 1.7MB) | en Español (PDF) (124 pp, 1.6MB)
The Bureau of International Recycling's guide, intended for its members and customers of its members, is a collection of tools for an ISO compliant Environmental Management System that includes OECD Core Performance Elements for the world’s recycling industries.

IAER certification program Exit EPA
IAER developed and implemented the certification process for electronics recycling facilities to achieve the designation of Certified Electronics Recycler®. This Web site contains information on the certification program and standards.

Canada-wide Principles for Electronics Product Stewardship (PDF) (2 pp, 13K) Exit EPA
Endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, this document lists Canada-wide principles for electronics product stewardship. The principles assist and support jurisdictions across Canada in the development of e-waste management programs.

Ontario's Electronics Stewardship Plan
The Ontario Electronic Stewardship developed this preliminary plan for a Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment Program in Ontario, Canada. The plan includes an overview of the system, recycling and reuse standards, promotion and education, research and development, and compliance and enforcement activities.

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Facts about E-Waste

FAQs on E-waste
This list of frequently asked questions provides answers to common questions about e-waste management, such as how much e-waste is in the waste stream and what are the benefits of electronics recycling.

WasteWise: Electronics Reuse and Recycling (PDF) (20 pp, 1.4MB)
WasteWise developed this comprehensive guide on electronics reuse and recycling, which focuses on environmentally sound electronics management from acquisition to end-of-life.

Management of E-Waste in the U.S. (PDF) (12 pp, 219K)
EPA developed this fact sheet on e-waste, which looks at the full cycle of the issue from purchase to end-of-life options.

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Technical Resources

Technical Guidance for the EMS of Specific Waste Streams: Used and Scrap PCs Exit EPA
This paper provides specific guidance for environmentally sound reuse and recovery of used personal computers in context with the overall OECD program for environmentally sound management of waste.

Screening Level Health and Ecological Risk Assessment for Generic E-Waste Processing Facility Exit EPA
This Web site details the findings of a recent study commissioned by Environment Canada that assessed the risks of an e-waste processing facility to both human health and the environment.

Implementation Guide for Information Technology Equipment Disassembly and Sorting Centres (PDF) (45 pp, 1.8MB) Exit EPA
This implementation guide, written and developed by the Quebec Center for Sustainable Development, shows organizations how to get the tools they need to implement an end-of-life electronics equipment disassembly and sorting center.

Profile of the Electronics and Computer Industry - Data Refresh Exit EPA
This data refresh feature enables users to obtain the most current emissions data from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) and compliance and enforcement data for the electronics and computer industry. It was developed to update the 1995 industry sector profile document.

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Looking Upstream

Green Electronics Council Exit EPA
Host of the EPEAT standard for laptops, desktops, and monitors, the Green Electronics Council Web site describes the nonprofit organization's mission, goals and programs for managing the life cycle of electronic products.

Pollution Prevention in the Electronics Industry - 1996 (PDF) (128 pp, 314K)
This 1996 manual provides an overview of pollution prevention and recycling alternatives for the electronics industry.

Design for the Environment Flame Retardants in Printed Circuit Boards Partnership
This partnership provides information on the environmental and human health impacts of new and current materials that can be used to meet the fire safety requirements for circuit boards.

Design for the Environment Lead Free Solder Partnership
To address the information gap and evaluate the environmental impacts of leaded and lead-free solders, EPA established this voluntary partnership with representatives of the electronics industry and other interested parties.

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E-Waste Web sites and Organizations

E-Cycling Central Exit EPA
This Web site from the Electronic Industry Alliance allows you to search for electronic recycling programs in your state.

Electronics Recycling Web Portal Exit EPA
This portal was developed by the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER), provides an abundance of information on electronics recycling. It also links to its affiliated sites: the centralized data repository, brand data management system, and the national electronics recycling infrastructure clearinghouse.

Consumer Electronics Association: My Green Electronics Exit EPA
A resource for consumers wishing to purchase green products and/or searching for local opportunities to recycle or donate used electronics.

Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) Consumer Education Initiative Exit EPA
Provides consumers with information on reuse and recycling opportunities for used electronics.

International Association of Electronics Recyclers (IAER) Exit EPA
This site offers a searchable directory of the electronics recycling industry.

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Exit EPA
Provides information to consumers regarding recycling their obsolete computers and electronics, and encourages responsible purchasing. Tools such as a state search for recyclers, legislation tracking and a list of computer companies and their takeback policies.

State Legislation on E-Waste Exit EPA
Offers tools for legislators and advocates and tracks legislation on e-waste on this Electronics TakeBack Coalition Web site.

E-Waste Guide Exit EPA
This Switzerland-based Web site is dedicated to improving the e-waste situation in developing and transitioning countries. The site contains news, events, case studies, and more.

National Center for Electronics Recycling Exit EPA
The National Center for Electronics Recycling's Web site features basic information on ecycling, local electronics recycling locations, legislation, projects, news, and links to studies, reports and other materials on e-waste.

Reciclemos Compmentes Electronicos Exit EPA
“We Recycle” is committed to raising awareness about e-waste issues in Latin America and the Caribbean through the development and promotion of a toolkit that offers practical advice and assistance. This Web site is available in English and Spanish. 

StEP: Solving the E-Waste Problem Exit EPA
This Web site of StEP, an initiative founded by various UN organizations to develop strategies to solve the e-waste problem, follows its activities and programs.

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International Efforts

Environmentally Sound Management of Electronics and Electronic Waste in Asia Pacific (PDF) (6 pp, 460K) Exit EPA
The Basel Convention developed a pilot program to address the urgent need for environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic waste in the Asia Pacific region. This brochure introduces the program's goals, objectives, plans of action, and progress to date.

Meeting the Challenge of E-Waste (PDF) (2 pp, 504K) Exit EPA
This brochure explains the challenge of e-waste and what the Basel Convention is doing on a global and regional level to address e-waste.

Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PDF) (2 pp, 733K) Exit EPA
This fact sheet describes the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment, including its benefits to participants, goals and scope.

Various Basel Convention Documents and Guidelines Exit EPA
This Web site contains various documents and guidelines (many translated into Spanish) created by the Basel Convention for the environmentally sound management of waste. Many of the technical guidelines are available in other languages, including Spanish.

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Conferences and Events

2007 US-Mexico Electronic Waste & Spent Lead Acid Batteries Capacity Building Workshop
More than 300 attendees gathered in Tijuana, Mexico in December 2007, to discuss best practices for the environmentally sound management of spent lead acid batteries and e-waste in the U.S.-Mexico border area. EPA's U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Program and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation co-hosted the three-day workshop, which attracted environmental leaders from the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

2009 US-Mexico Waste Policy Forum & Tire Group Meeting
March 11 – 13, 2009
This meeting, which combined major strategic efforts as part of the Border 2012 Program, focused on broad waste policy issues between the U.S. and Mexico. Participants had the opportunity to network and to discuss emerging market trends, laws, and regulations; program development; successful programs; collaboration strategies and opportunities; and specific issues, such as scrap tire waste, electronic waste, waste-related infrastructure and institutional capacity building, contaminated site cleanup, and more.

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