President Barrack Obama has signed a proclamation celebrating the strides the country has made in recycling generally, while highlighting the need for greater attention to addressing electronic scrap.
During the announcement, three Federal government agencies, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the General Services Administration (GSA) say that they have formed a task force, under the Executive Order on Federal Sustainability, which will be charged with helping the federal government develop a plan to responsibly manage and recycle obsolete electronics.
“Used electronics represent the fastest growing segment of local solid waste in our country. Far too many used electronics end up in landfills or are exported to nations where there is little capacity for safe management. Rather than benefitting from the reuse and recycling of valuable components, we see increased exposure to the toxic chemicals and other harmful substances in electronic devices,” says EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
“EPA has made the handling of used electronics and e-waste one of our top priorities, and through this task force the U.S. can become the world leader in sustainable electronics management. There are cost-effective and potentially profitable methods to better manage these materials and prevent health and environmental threats at home and around the world,” Jackson adds.
“Already one of the largest consumers of electronics, we plan to make the federal government the most responsible,” says Martha Johnson, GSA administrator. “Not only will we reduce the federal government’s footprint, we will model behavior for private consumers and use our position in the marketplace to drive the development of sustainable electronics and recycling solutions.”
The interagency task force, co-chaired by EPA, GSA and CEQ, will develop a national strategy for responsible electronics stewardship, including improvements to federal procedures for managing electronic products. The strategy will include steps to ensure electronics containing hazardous materials collected for recycling and disposal are not exported to developing nations that lack the capacity to manage the recovery and disposal of these products in ways that safeguard human health and the environment.
The president’s proclamation can be viewed by going to http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/2010recycles.prc.rel.pdf.