| GRN Recycle Talk FAQ Answer |
Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 15:40:00 -0400 (EDT) From: FRIEDMAN.FRED@EPA.GOV (Fred Friedman) Subject: Re: Current recycling status of electronics industry (Yim, Jena)
May 15, 2000
Dear Jena Yim,
Electronics recycling is in its early days in most countries. Globally, scrap is mostly exported from 1st world countries to a few pacific rim and third world countries with often devatating polluting results. In the US and Europe there is about 15% recycling or reuse of some electronics, notably computer plastics and metals, telephones and semiconductors. Collection infrastructures exist in some places in the US but not others, and do exist in most but not all western European nations. In Canada, mostly urban areas are served only. Recently landfill bans and incineration bans have spurred electronics recycling in a few places, as has mandatory takeback requirements on eg embedded batteries. Design for recycling has begun.
- Research Library for RCRA