Toxic Sentence:
E-waste, Prisons, Economic and Environmental Justice
SVTC and the Computer TakeBack Campaign have developed an informational report on UNICOR's federal inmate electronics recycling program that discusses the lack of worker's rights and health and safety standards, and describes a culture of intimidation and injustice.
Posted: March 7, 2005

Apple put on notice for poisonous products

Lurking underneath Apple's beautifully designed digital music players and computers are poisonous chemicals like lead and mercury that can cause birth defects and disabilities. Apple should live up to its ethical reputation and take leadership to stop the growing mountain of toxic electronic waste from poisoning our families and communities. See the pictures.
Posted: January 2005

Workshop: Developing Domestic Alternatives to E-waste Export
Exporting hazardous computer and electronic waste to developing countries has devastated human health and the environment of recipient nations. This was the topic of discussion at this workshop hosted by SVTC and the Basel Action Network (BAN), in which representatives from local government, recycling and environmental groups explored ways to avoid harmful export practices and to support recyclers and reuse activities that create local jobs.
Posted: December 6, 2004

Discarded Cell Phones, Printers, Keyboards May Be Hazardous Waste
Research from University of Florida Associate Professor Tim Townsend presented research to the US EPA that could prompt changes in federal or state disposal rules, to keep e-waste out of landfills. The research found that electronic devices leach enough hazardous materials to be considered hazardous waste. These materials include: mercury, arsenic, cadmium, barium, silver, selenium, chromium and lead.
Posted: March 18, 2004

New Release:
Poison PCs and Toxic TVs
E-waste Tsunami to Roll Across the US: Are We Prepared? An update of the 2001 Poison PC report, this new edition provides an in depth look at the current status of the e-waste problem. It projects a $7.5 billion revenue shortfall over the next few years and identifies IBM and the TV industry as the major problems.
Posted: February 9, 2004

Corporate Strategies for Electronics Recycling
A report by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and the Computer TakeBack Campaign documents the vast differences between the two largest U.S. computer makers -- Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell Computer (Dell) -- in their computer recycling strategies.
Hard Drive Across the West
Read the Executive Summary (HTML) or download the whole report as a PDF.
Posted: June 25, 2003 (~700 KB)

High-Tech Goes Green
Work related cancers have eroded the high-tech industry's clean reputation. New European laws on take back and reduction of hazardous substances in computers could set a new standard. Read the article by Ted Smith and Chad Raphael that appeared in the Spring 2003 issues of Yes! A Journal of Positive Alternatives. Read the on-line version!

European Union publishes e-waste directives
Under the electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) law, by 2005 authorities must introduce legislation for free take back of waste goods by final owners and ensure that equipment producers are responsible for financing the collection, treatment, recovery and disposal of all waste. Under the hazardous substances in manufactured equipment (RoHS) law, manufacturers will have to cease using lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, or the brominated flame retardants PBDE and PBB, in products marketed from July 1, 2006. Read the directives and an article published in Brussels.
SVTC Press release
(February 18, 2003)

NEW! 4th Annual Clean Computer Report Card
SVTC, in partnership with more than 20 other groups in the national Computer TakeBack Campaign, released the 4th Annual Computer Report Card on January 9, 2003.
Read the media advisory.

Strategy: Can designers save the world?
This article by Jenn Shreve examines the possibility of e-waste being a thing of the past, if designers get their way. Printed in eDesign, September/October 2002. (This is a PDF File.)

Enabling the Future
A new report by Natural Step and SVTC. The section written by SVTC is a comprehensive assessment of the environmental and health footprint that has been caused by the development of the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley over the years.

Electronics Recyclers Pledge of True Stewardship

Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia
Electronic waste (e-waste) is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world. It is a crisis of quantity and toxicity posing occupational and environmental health threats. This report and photos reveal the 'escape valve' to handle this problem--exporting the E-waste crisis to Asia.

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