United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has announced the agency’s international priorities at a meeting of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation she is attending in Guanajuato, Mexico.
“Pollution doesn’t stop at international borders, and neither can our environmental and health protections,” states Jackson. “The local and national environmental issues of the past are now global challenges. This document sends a strong message to our partners in the international community that our challenges are shared challenges and that we are eager to work together on solutions. Along with the seven [domestic] EPA priorities I issued earlier this year, these six international priorities will guide our work during the months and years ahead.”
One of the six priorities identified is what the EPA refers to as “Cleaning up e-waste.”
The agency’s choice of the word “e-waste” as opposed to using terminology relating to pre-owned electronics or electronic scrap may be a source of concern for recyclers, refurbishers and others who trade obsolete electronics internationally.
In the news release announcing the priorities, the EPA says, “The electronics that provide us with convenience often end up discarded in developing countries where improper disposal can threaten local people and the environment. EPA recognizes this urgent concern and will work with international partners to address the issues of e-waste. In the near-term, EPA will focus on ways to improve the design, production, handling, reuse, recycling, exporting and disposal of electronics.”
Other priorities identified by Jackson include “building strong environmental institutions and legal structures” and “reducing exposure to toxic chemicals.”
More information on EPA’s international priorities can be found at www.epa.gov/international/topsix.html.