GAO Releases Report on Electronics Recycling

In its report, “Electronic Waste: Considerations for Promoting Environmentally Sound Reuse and Recycling,” the GAO says it found that low recycling rates for obsolete electronics results in the loss of valuable resources. The agency also expressed concern that the export of electronic scrap can create health and environmental risks for those countries lacking the proper infrastructure.

In a summary accompanying the release of the report, the GAO says it found a myriad of challenges in regards to the proper handling and export of obsolete electronics.

The GAO report notes that in the absence of a comprehensive national approach, a growing number of states have enacted electronics recycling laws, raising concerns about a patchwork of state requirements. In this context, GAO examined the following:

•                    United States EPA efforts to facilitate environmentally sound used electronics management;

•                    the views of various stakeholders on a state-by-state approach; and

•                    considerations to promote environmentally sound management.

In looking at the EPA’s role, the GAO says the agency’s efforts so far have been primarily limited to enforcing its rule for the recycling and exporting of cathode-ray tubes, which contain significant quantities of lead, and on an array of partnership programs that encourage voluntary efforts among manufacturers and other stakeholders.

EPA has improved enforcement of export provisions of its CRT rule, but issues related to exports remain, according to the GAO.  In particular, the report notes that the EPA does not specifically regulate the export of many other electronic devices that typically are not within the regulatory definition of hazardous waste but that contain toxic substances. In addition, the EPA has not analyzed its partnership programs systematically to determine how their impact could be augmented.

According to the GAO, the views of stakeholders on the state-by-state approach to managing used electronics have been shaped by the states with electronics recycling legislation. To varying degrees, the entities typically regulated under the state laws consider the increasing number of state laws to be a compliance burden.

In five states the GAO visited, however, state and local solid waste management officials expressed overall support for states taking a lead role in the absence of a national approach. The officials attributed their satisfaction more to the design and implementation of individual state recycling programs, rather than to the state-by-state approach.

The report adds that options to further promote the management of obsolete electronics involve a number of policy considerations and encompass many variations, ranging from a continued reliance on state recycling programs to the establishment of federal standards via legislation.

GAO previously recommended that EPA submit to Congress a legislative proposal for ratification of the Basel Convention, a multilateral environmental agreement that seeks to protect against the adverse effects resulting from transboundary movements of hazardous waste. EPA officials told GAO that the agency had developed a legislative proposal under previous administrations, but had not finalized a proposal with other federal agencies.

The report came up with several recommendations. The first is for the EPA Administrator to undertake an examination of the agency's partnership programs for the management of used electronics. The analysis should examine how the impact of such programs can be augmented, and should culminate in an integrated strategy that articulates how the programs, taken together, can best assist stakeholders in achieving the environmentally responsible management of used electronics nationwide, says the GAO.

The GAO report also suggests that the EPA Administrator work with other federal agencies, including the State Department and the Council on Environmental Quality, to finalize a legislative proposal that would be needed for ratification of the Basel Convention, with the aim of submitting a package for congressional consideration.

Those wishing to view the full report can click here -- Electronic Waste: Considerations for Promoting Environmentally Sound Reuse and Recycling.