E-Stewards publishes guide for electronics plastic scrap shipments

The e-Stewards Certification Program, developed by the Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN), has published a guide for managing plastic scrap from electronics within the legal bounds of the Basel Convention.

The “Guide to Plastic Waste Export Compliance for U.S. Electronics Recyclers” follows BAN's discovery that significant amounts of mixed U.S. electronic scrap plastics are currently being exported to Malaysia, which cannot legally accept such plastics.

“The current spate of illegal exports of plastic waste puts many recyclers and their trading partners in legal jeopardy and violates the certifications they may hold,” says Jim Puckett, executive director of BAN. “Such exports also jeopardize the state-legislated producer responsibility programs operating in 23 states by electronics manufacturers.

“Noncompliance is not an option for anyone, so it is imperative that the matter be addressed together by all industry stakeholders including manufacturers, recyclers, certifications and state programs."

The Basel Convention is a global treaty that aims to minimize the transboundary movement of discarded materials, including plastics, and strictly regulates materials moved across borders. In 2021, new listings of plastic materials subject to trade went into effect. The Basel Convention says that because it is not a U.S. ratified organization, U.S. electronics recyclers have limited legal options for the disposal of mixed or contaminated plastic outside of the country. E-Stewards says domestic recycling capacity cannot currently handle computer and appliance plastics generated by recyclers.

E-Stewards has already begun a dialogue with electronics manufacturers and Washington-based Sustainable Electronics Recycling International, the Recycling Industry Operating Standard and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. E-Stewards says it aims to be a part of a united front to tackle the shortfall in available options for recyclers, while ensuring compliance with international law and conformity with voluntary certification programs. Certification programs such as e-Stewards and SERI’s R2 require compliance with all applicable laws.