Tài liệu managing electronic waste issues with exporting e waste doc

peoblen ith lanafiling ease, have ldo an inerease in neycine WNh that ineease ave come es «questions about waste management, Instead of questions only about the potential impacts ‘sociat

Congressional Research

\Nobervice

Managing Electronic Waste:

Issues with Exporting E-Waste

Linda Luther

‘Analyst in Environmental Policy

October 7, 2009

Congressional Research Service

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50 CRS Report for Congress

Managing Flcrode Wat: sue ith xorg

Summary

[letronie waste e-waste) ss ten tats use Joosely to eter to obsolete, broken or eepatable slectronie devices ike eevisios computer central processing units (CPUS), computer monitors (flat screen and cathode ray tubes), laptops, printers, scanners and wsocatd wir E-waste has hecome a concern in the United States due to the igh volues in which ts generate, the Ihzardnusconsitcnts often contains (ch as Kah mr, an chrom, aa the lk of regulations applicable wo its sposal eecin

Under mot cirumetancss,c-wasde can legally be disposed of in a manip sod was lai recycled with fe en stony requirements, Concer aout e-waste nll đeo hae kal ederl an state environmental agencies snoarsge recyshing To dite, 19 Sales have implemericd some form of manitry & waste reveling program These sate

requiremss ved vith teresca consti awareness regarding pnts! peoblen ith lanafiling ease, have ldo an inerease in neycine WNh that ineease ave come es

«questions about waste management, Instead of questions only about the potential impacts

‘sociated with e-nastediposal questions have arisen regarding the ptetil danger associated wth e-waste ecyeting—particlarly wen recycling involves the export of e-waste wo developing Counties where there ae tow equitsents to pote workers oF the ctirotmnsn

Answering questions about hth e-waste disposal and seeycling involves abst of challengcs For example, ile information is avaiable to allow a complete assessnet of fay e-waste hima

‘managed, General estimates hive been made about the manager of eather tubes (CRT, theonly devices hte dnpos is ederally regulated, hu lie able information is aailble regarding ater categories of e-waste, For example, accurie date regaeding how mach is

senorfed how le tao ehgh disposal or eeyelng), and where is process (iter tlamestcally or aoad) ate largely unknown Further, ite information avalale regarding the total sms of functioning electronics export 0 developing counties for legate reuse

‘What shown thre ast eyeing involves complex processes adits more etl to recyele e-waste inthe Ute Stats fee there fsa lite reeling infrastructure als is khoe th most consumer esetronice manufacturers (wo provide the market for maeial recovery om recycle electronics have moved overseas, Axa esl the majority of e-waste collet fr recy either for reuse or recycling) appears a be exported Ir processing

Although there may be limited data regarding how e-waste is managed, the consequences of expor tn cours that manage it imprepey are becoming increasingly evi a particular

‘arnus reports and studies (hy the mantra maa, environmertal organiations am

University researchers) have Fou prin vaste managem practices in Una ad satis staIinew ALdel 8A Asi, Operations Gai i the Shao region of Chia ive gan Dafievla attention Observed reveling operations involve burning the pas caverings of Inari to extract meals or serap, open uring cicut boards to reve sold or saking them ínaeid baths to strip them for gold or other tls Ac ths are hen dump no surface

‘water Among other impacts t those arcs have heen ekwated blood le levels in cikien and Soin wer contaminated with Heavy tals

The impacts associated wih e-waste exports have led to concerns from envionment

organizations members ofthe publi, an some Members of Conse

onan ex

Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

Contents

‘Concerns Aboot Domestic E-Waste Dispos 4

janie Management Regireron’s : Relevant Waste Dispsal Rauiremes 5

actos Infeeneing E-Waste Exporting ế °

‘Costly ant Complex Domestic Reeseling Processes 9 Tiited Domestic Infssnuctore and High Demand Abroad 10

Tables

Table | Summary of the CRT Ruk’s Export Notification Resuirements 8

Contacts

Antor Comet Information a a 2

onan Resch Slee

Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

Introduction

[Etetroie waste (e-waste) stem that use loosely to refer to obsolete, broken or imepatable slectonie devices ike eevisios computer central processing units (CPUS), computer monitors {flat screen and cathode ray tubes), laptops, printers, scamers and associat wir Rapid

"echology changes ave let increasingly lage e-waste surpluses Econ devices,

patculary oder units nan ey on storage contain a ot of hazardous constuets sachs Fea mero chromi, a el 3 pss cate th brominated Mame etna The presence ofthese contents hike to sto ife EOL) management” concerns from state a Federal environmental agencies, ensitonmentlonganizatons, at! sone Members of Congress, [vase i essesalyweyulte a the Federal leveling i ea be disposed of wih conn household garbage i minieipal solid vaste fandlils ihe pray dxposal muta of incinerators, Athough the Environmental Proicction Aseney (EPA) la sufed thal e-waste

‘isposal inland ssa.” state and local waste management agencies ave expressed concerns regarding the potential cumlaive impact to human Bealth andthe envioninent of landing tillons of pounds of e-vaste As area, naval states have begun fo ent th 0 e-vuslz

‘manageiment requirements, To date, 1 states and New York City have enacted some form of

‘caste managoment la, Those Ins inc provisions such a restrictions om anil spe

ff ceriain e-wastes a the establishment of ministry recycling programs, generally pid for by

‘lectonics matures Inthe coming years itis Hs that mine sate wl enact sae ws,

[New state rguirements, mixed with increased consumer awareness regarding potential problems

‘ith landing e-waste, ave led to an inetews in eying, With ha increase have come ney

‘questions about e-waste EOL management Instea of question ony aboot the pote impacts associate with e-waste diposa, questions Rave arisen ranting the pote danger associated

‘wth east recseting

Because earaste cystine lange unregulated, virally mo data ae vale to track its fate: Accurate data raring how nde is generated, how iis managed, ad where is processed (ciber domestically o abroad) ate lagely unavailable, What is kon is that e-waste recyeling

‘may involve costly, complex process and tha there i ot a sufficient recycling infastncture forthe United State to une is own e-vte.Ials s Known that markets for e-waste ether for reuse cycling for scrap) ate largely overseas, a eth the majority of e-waste cles for neeyeling appt a be exports for prasesins

Athowsh itis ficult io now exactly ove much east collected for recycling is export, it

"ppcars that Inia or delaping counties n Asia or Africa are met ikely to rssive it, Tse

Gn sno oh icine) egg ih my hô

When pis rea EPs nett EOL eueareolug

Managing Flcrode Wat: sue ith xorg

counties ate more likely to have elsronies manufacturing plans that ean cheaply reps of Fefthish e-waste for reuse Also, developing counries are more Uke 4 ale e-waste More highly than developed eaonises forts teil to cycle fo tap

Wile some exports may'he sent fits hac manage e-waste n'a nay ạt phe woskers tthe environment, a significant amount ie Bely se to counts tht have ew i ny

Proce fr workers othe eostonent ott hav epulstions tit ae net enor, The

‘ess that recycling eperation in those counties my pore seniiea isk to aman health And the envieonment Ineessinel,envionmental ganizations, university esearch, ad the

‘mada have documented comanation tt soi, an] agte, an heal inact the pepe

‘working and ving ner these operations parca fo chile (hese ssbes are sessed in rote cai i he seta “Tapes of E-Waste Exp")

Con regarding the potential impact of expoming e-waste for processing in developing

oun have lf increased serutiny fom meres ofthe publi, environmental

‘ganizations, aswell s some Menthe of Congress, Oa May 21,2009, Congressman Gene (Green introtices H.R 2505 il hat would amend ihe Solkd Waste Disposal Net 2 USC

1921 establish eenain waste export resrctons There have alo been several congressional hearings on sus ascot wih e-waste management one of which speiclly addressed issn ansolal wth eovaste exports,

‘Ther are various sues of concern with regard to ease sposal and seeyling This report look at iases specially related to its spot for reeling Particular it discusses

locum mace ofa eal and he enirmment at have Hoon te wo me eying Praetices in developing counties I rosides an overview of various actors necessary %0

‘understand iy e-waste disposal bis bocome a concen nthe United Stats, Sica the teport discusses issues that have motivated cetinsakeholdes to diver e-waste fom land AUsposal and, ence, increase ecyeling.Iralko discusses Waste management resuiements nthe

‘Utd States, to lusrate how e-waste disposal and ecyling ar essentially unregulated: nd

‘why processing e-waste abroad has, and will ikely continu to ae, a predominant ole inthe recycling prowess

Impacts of E-Waste Exports

In iswiiul to determi how much e-waste exported from the United States to developing onan is rer ficult determine owe nich of the waste that fr exported eset to Facies that wll manage sally as pened 0 thse tat use disassembly a posal mts that oil expose workers to txie chemicals wi ile, i, peotaction Ii also ail

doan ung mảnh e-waste may he sen eountis tht have a te regulatory frame ork

to protet the local enviroment pateally exposing the suzouning communist esaing

‘Whats bocoming easier to document ste impact hate waste expors are having on less

dksveloped nations With ieteasa exports have come ered mea atenon onthe impeoper

Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

Fanaling of eaten hose ares adits resting inact Varios reps have graphically documented heakh and safety tects tv workers and environmcnal contamination fro e-waste recovery practices in developing counts, Is lificult to document all e-waste rch

hut popu devinataa lục vaste export from the Unio Sates (an oer developed

‘anties) ae waste pracessine operations i Guiya the Shan epen f Chins, Delhi and Bangalore in Inia, ad the Agbogh lose ite near Accra, Chana

‘Muipi stutcs have documented envionmental and heath fst of uncontoed waste processing acids, Environmental impact nchideconiamiition ofall oa environmen Inada so ar, surface wale, nd ground watt, For expe, a fe 2109 study Found tha she Primary hazards teeyling operations in Gai svolye

+ metal recovery hat volves open burning of wires obtain tel and copper

sathode ray tube (CRT) <eacing fo cain eoppt-laden yokes, desoering sa

buen of eet Hoard to reve solder ant chips, and eid sipping chips for

+ plate rcyeting though chipping and meting: and

+ dumping of masa tht cannot be further processed (such as ended CRT

sa hired iret oars) an resides ft eeyeling operons sch ses

from open bar operations, spent aid hats, and shades)

le yas observed that buring circuit hoard plastics treated wit brominated flame retardants cenluel hannlulheavy metak, iogim, ad aromatic hydrocarbons, Farther, heavy metal

omantinaton in sutace water and sediments was Zour ha coud e ated othe diet effets of ease reeyeing operations in Gui Copper ftom srace water Was Foun to hệ 24

to 131 tines the reference hack ground concentrations, and sednwat samples wote 3 2 «429 inns he rference loves, The study ako found severe levels of eotatation For lead

‘cau, nsteury and arsenic in eiment and surface water ae a resul of reeyting operations

In ation envirianenal eomtamination, inpacts on humans have heen observed In 2007 study hile fo ancto sx yeats old in Guiyu wore compare to dose living ina eishoring toon where no earte procesing was done.” Children in Guiyu were fount have bloed ead levels (BLL that were sieniiany higher than those i he ncighhorng ilc, The dườy

Siamese cml Ad papi gh Ys Ta away om ae Tạp Ea ketngE merìne-neundemm tí Set mít tngle la M con 3eyrng ft Capone non od Capa Ngon tô 39 mix drear

itso thera tat tag tee es eras NHÍ HE mem

Consol

Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

concluded lạt elevatel BLLsn uju chliến were common as a esl of posure to Kd

‘contamination caused by primitive e-waste recycling activities

Concerns About Domestic E-Waste Disposal

Th understand why e-waste is export flo waderstod why lanl sos has become a concern to eran stakeholders in the United Stace, Those concems center argely arth vases ietesing volume ath huzaas consti, sch as fea and messi likely conins inereased awareness hs encouraged state waste management sa Wale reels agencies ta cons the potential imps to ma eat athe envionment associa ith

e vade and lclai\oioreateer3 lo ive ease fo lanl dsp

Waste Volume

‘The proliferation ofan inerasinly ra echnolagical advances in eletonics mn that the soluine of e-waste generate inthe United Sats i ge and rowing, Data regatcng ekeconie Trodiet hd store, reycle and disposed of af nied However n 2008, EPA completed & Sảny thụ attempted to gather more current data," According lo that tin 2007, of the 3.25 trillion tons of eleisions cel phones and computer procs reads for em PC EOL)

tmansaenenl (414,000 cons) wer collect for roeyeling and 82% (14 milion tons) were

‘lspci i anal, Fath, EPA este thi appoint 235 milion nis Sold berwecn 19ND and 2007 were obsolete and in storage, ailing some method of EOL

Alto EPA estimates tat east comprises about 2% ofthe municipal sol waste team i

is sticipated ha ths pereemage will owas consumers continue to eeplace old and outa flectonie equipment al discard eupment in storage,

Hazardous Constituents

[letroic devices nay consi any ofa host of hazards constituents, Cathode nay tubes

(CRTs) found in televisions and eorputer monitors and prime wire boas (PWES often

‘cousin significant amounts of lead CRTs eomain an average of four pounds of Ted bt may contin more, depending on the size, age andl make f the device

Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

ANholsh hịghlexl le hy CRTS an PWS often gt the mast ttewion fom Federal ad state

‘vaste regulars, electronic devices suchas personal an! ap computers, keyboants, and computer mice my contain oxi constituents such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium or mercury

In ackiton to potemaly toxic constituens plastics used in electronic devices oltencomain

‘omit Mame etardais (BPRS), BERS are wily vse in plastic eases al ables i fre retardancy Phases containing BFR cannot he reycled as easily a p]avies seh a those wet

in plane bots ot oe containers

White an individual clevtonic deve may tot have dangerously high lvel of a given tone malediL the extnlative impact of large volumes of e-waste beng disposed of in nip solid waste nl has become troubling Wo many state waste managerment age,

E-Waste Management Requirements

Broadly speaking discarded e-waste has two potential fates—# nay be dispose of (nust key ina land) ort maybe oeyclod Once the devoe fin the hands ofthe reset i my be

‘esnld and ese as” oft nay undergo some degre of refurbishing Products tht cannot he Feused or refurbished ae ther dismantled or shred, with the esting trial spars in Sccondary mea sean ad al last partially recovered, The resale of eectoni ices for reser material recovery may coeur domestically oF aboad

Regardless of whether an ckctrnic device is disposed of or recy, there ae virally a Federal enironmental regulatory requremcnts applicable ots management, Factors specie to

‘esate ha ae the ck of repliton are ust in anderstaning the challenges ase

‘vthakesingw waste management ish,

Relevant Waste Disposal Requirements

Federal standards regarding waste nanagente ate specified under peovsins of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA, 42 U.S.C HO e seq." RCRA establishes eter or

‘managing boc solid” and azardos” waste All egultory ryuirinents arising fom he act

etn ot Compter PU a er

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Managing lctronte Wat: out hoa -1axte

Stem from the inital determination of whether an em is stu “waste” and re, that

ae hưng

Solid waste is defined under the lows “any garbage, refuse rather dscatded materia

Subvile Dof RCRA establishes sate and lca goveruments a he psary planing, regulating,

"implementing entities forthe management af nonhezardous solid waste such as houschol _surbage and noahzardhus indstal solid waste, Landfill hat collect household surhage are Predominately pulsed hy sate and loca governments EPA has, heer, establishes! nim Estria ha contin es laps os met iver to sty pn AI mi Su Dị Stas ae eneaueaged (but ot required by tepulation) fo develop eompeesve plans to mage ronfavardous instal soli waste ad mip sald waste

Under Subd C of RCRA, EPA has established relations onthe tanspent, eatnsn, sora

an disposal of "hzardous wast,” Fora material to het the regulatory definition of azandous trase ust Rist mest the definition of "solid waste.” Furthet for wast tobe considered Thưanlovs, ft nu ether e sted specitiesly ox exhibit ay of for harardous characteris: lgnlubily cưmsidev raetfly, and oxi, E>vaste would mos likely exhibit toxicity

shartetrisis, meaning would he harm or fatal when ingested or absorbed (Been , fontins toni substance such 8 mercy or lead) Whe tonic waste are dpsed of on and, onaminated Hid my dence fom the waste ara lle grou water Sic Toxicity

‘efined thus a shoraory poset calle he Tony Charelrisie Lachine Proedne TCLPI, híchi<ieMemlslto malle sposal conditions,

[BPA has decried that CRT met the regulatory deinton of hazardous waste, bt as not dksermined if oer eeceoni devices an components would consistently i TELP (ie, ence tosicty Tit), Sti hae deter hat devices soc 3s persona cotnputer cee)

rocesing units (CPUS), atop computers, primers, computer mice, and Kesboat ha the venta {levies will afvays Beanie” Tonieity levels would likely vary by manufacture wake, ad to exceed ticity mis, butt has mt en determined thal entre lisse of electronic model

[Even device meets the definkion of hazardous waste, that des nit necessarily nea that the dbovise mast be deposed ol in accordance with RCRAYs hazards waste regulations EPA relations have established many exchsions and exciton ots hayarddus sa dsposat Fequiremenss." Tnplementing exclusions or excpions fs often sed as a mechanism o faite rocpeling, Examples of e-wastes tht ste exch or exemp fom the definition of hazards

1 Any elctnnie doves discarded by household consumer,

Devices that can he suse

Managing Flcrode Wat: sue ith xorg

+ Scrap metal, processed scrap metal, previous metals, whole eit hoants,

shred vrei boards, processed CRT las, ntact CRTS, and partially

‘recessed CRT sent for ney."

[RCRA establishes cetan nium waste managemert tana tht sates must meet, bu states, have the option o implement requirements tht are more stringent tha noe species uns RCRA To đực, 19 states and New York: City have ope to regulate ease more strictly

Althoh the spot rogairemonts wry somewhat Irom sate satel have the same gol—to

‘void hindi dsposl and incineration of certain types of eae, Mest tat ans hạhe cai Iron clements st comme, suc as pci ing the electronic deviews covered Une he lay; hay scallion aa teeling pogran will be France elles an reveling aera that mast De

‘net o miniize the impact to hogan bald ad dos eavironment aa esttons oF

Feuifements that procs mist oct o Be sold in he sate

EPA’ stated policy on e-waste management sto encourage euipment raise eying, and hen disposal in that onde, Further, EPA has acknowledged that owas can be salely disposed of in

‘municipal solid waste landfill However hat sat its preferred managemea option

Recycling and Export Requirements

There are federal laws that require waste reveling by commercial entities or households, Also, with e-wste disposal, there a ew fodetal environmental regulatory requirements nice ta rcycling operations themselves inelading Ue export of evant fo cycling oF

The tạm “ncyvlef" bry refers toa company that may engage in any ofa mamiber of actives aching colbaine/ saved, teasipReerir sĩ iRoesine packs wad apes labor tensive pres (sce “Factors Influencing Waste Exporting,” Below), Any edad regulation applica vo reeyehne operations waht ikely addess human pats associat th the disseny process al apply t9 workplace health ad safety operations Any enone

‘regulations applicable to a rexyeling operation would Wkly aply to se unagomnene of resid taste generated during the recycling proces

Exporting e-waste generally considered a potential element ofthe recyeting proces, wherein electron devices are ent for rese refurbishment, or materials rover As with disposal and

‘he lemons ofthe recycling proves, there are ao roqutements applicable to e-waste exporting tsashole However there are export notion ruitement hat apy to certain CRTs Those Fequremens are stipulated under EPA's 207 "CRT Rule” Export nication rogirements Tir the CRT Rue ate summarized in Table 1, belo