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Cathode ray tube monitors being packed for shipping
Electronic waste or e-waste in the United States refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the United States is beginning to address its waste problems with regulations at a state and federal level. Used electronics are the quickest-growing source of waste and can have serious health impacts.[1] The United States is the world leader in producing the most e-waste, followed closely by China; both countries domestically recycle and export e-waste.[2] Only recently has the United States begun to make an effort to start regulating where e-waste goes and how it is disposed of. There is also an economic factor that has an effect on where and how e-waste is disposed of. Electronics are the primary users of precious and special metals, retrieving those metals from electronics can be viewed as important as raw metals may become more scarce[3]
The United States does not have an official federal e-waste regulation system, yet certain states have implemented state regulatory systems. The National Strategy for Electronic Stewardship was co-founded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and the General Services Administration (GSA), and was introduced in 2011 to focus on federal action to establish electronic stewardship in the United States.[4] E-waste management is critical due to the toxic chemicals present in electronic devices. According to the United States EPA, toxic substances such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium are often released into the environment and endanger whole communities; these toxic contaminants can have detrimental effects on the health of ecosystems and living organisms.[5] United States e-waste management includes recycling and reuse programs, domestic landfill dumping, and international shipments of domestically produced e-waste. The EPA estimates that in 2009, the United States disposed of 2.37 million tons of e-waste, 25% of which was recycled domestically.[5]
Lack of awareness for e-waste issues is also a problem in the U.S., especially among young people. In a 2020 survey of people between the ages of 18 and 38, 60% did not know what the term "e-waste" is, and 57% did not consider electronic waste to be "a significant contributor to toxic waste."[6] With electronic recycling options readily available in most states, the issue seems to be awareness, not availability. In 2018, an association of European electronic recyclers based in Brussels called the WEEE Forum, created International E-Waste Day on October 13, with the support of 19 e-waste companies globally, in order to raise awareness about how large of an issue e-waste has become.[7]
^Campbell, Katie (2016-05-10). "Where does America's e-waste end up? GPS tracker tells all". PBS NewsHour. PBS. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
^Namias, Jennifer. "The future of electronic waste recycling in the United States: Obstacles and Domestic Solutions." Columbia University. MS degree in Earth Resources Engineering Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering Columbia University July (2013).
^Used electronic products: An examination of US exports. Washington, D.C. USA: USITC. 2012. pp. 332–528.
^ abUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (2014-03-18). "Cleaning Up Electronic Waste". The Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
^Ruiz, Angelina (2020-08-19). "3 In 5 Young Americans Don't Know What E-Waste Is, Leading 60 Percent of Them to Throw Electronics in the Trash". Waste Advantage Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
^"International E-Waste Day aims to raise public awareness". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
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