In media events in several cities in the United States, sixteen private electronics recycling firms representing 22 facilities throughout North America will announce on February 25 that they have joined forces with environmental organizations and agreed to uphold the world’s most rigorous environmental and social criteria for the dismantling and recycling of electronic wastes (e-waste). Media events will include press conferences, signing of an over-sized pledge form and tours of recycling facilities.

The criteria are contained in the landmark "Electronic Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship” was developed in conjunction with members of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, including the Basel Action Network, and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.

The "Electronic Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship" was inspired by, and marks the one year anniversary of the release of the report "Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia," by BAN and SVTC. That report sent shock waves throughout the electronics and electronics recycling industries with its disturbing revelation that 50 to 80% of electronic waste collected for recycling in North America was actually being sent by so-called recyclers and brokers to developing countries such as China, India and Pakistan, where the wastes were simply dumped in the environment or recycled in very toxic and polluting operations resulting in occupational disease.

Additionally, due to the widespread use of the toxic substances such as lead, mercury, chlorine and bromine in electronic products, there is great concern about dumping e-waste into municipal solid waste systems where the toxins can leach into groundwater from landfills or be released by incinerator emissions or ash. Increasingly local governments, relying on shrinking taxpayer dollars, are forced to grapple with protecting their local communities from e-waste pollution. The pledge also targets the increasing use of prison labor, which according to the environmentalists and recyclers, undercuts free market businesses and amounts to an inappropriate government subsidy.

Under the Banner of “No Export, No Dumping, No Prisons” the signatory companies have all agreed, among other requirements to: · prevent hazardous e-waste from going to municipal incinerators or landfills; · prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries; · use free-market rather than prison labor to dismantle or recycle e-waste. By calling for a closing-off of what they call the "cheap and dirty" legal outlets for e-waste, the recyclers and their environmental allies hope to both prod governments to legislate similar criteria and at the same time establish a market for doing the right thing.

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