Electronics Recycling

Dell Announces Plan to Prohibit Export of Electronic Scrap to Developing Countries

Computer manufacturer Dell, Round Rock, Texas, has announced that it will not export, either directly or through its downstream recycling vendors, any non-working electronic products from developed nations to developing nations for recycling, reuse, repair or disposal. The company’s only exception will be for products sent back to the original equipment manufacturer for warranty repairs.

The policy has garnered the support of environmentalists and consumer groups.

"Dell’s export policy sets the standard for others in the industry and should serve as the model for long overdue federal policy on e-waste export," says Barbara Kyle, National coordinator of San Francisco-based Electronics TakeBack Coalition. "Unless a company has a strict program to prevent it, there is a high probability that their recycling vendors are exporting the e-waste they handle. Dell’s policy goes beyond its competitors, some of whom are still exporting non-working products to developing countries."

However, not all organizations are supporting Dell’s new policy.

In response to Dell’s announcement, The World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association (WR3A), Middlebury, Vt., a nonprofit business consortium dedicated to fair trade standards for international electronics recycling, issued a statement that reads, "Ironically, like the war on drugs, Dell’s new policy is precisely what leads to e-waste in developing countries.

"Growth of the Internet is 10 times higher than the USA in countries with one-tenth the USA’s income. How are they getting these computers? Repair and refurbishment, at factory-scale," adds WR3A.