EPA Awards Grant to Help Reduce E-waste / Furthers agency commitment to responsible electronic stewardship (HQ)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has awarded a grant to the United Nations University (UNU) to help
curb rising pollution and health problems associated with discarded
electronics. The five-year, $2.5 million grant to UNU’s
Institute for Sustainability and Peace will help authorities track
shipments of North American electronic waste and provide support to
nations in both Africa and Asia coping with e-waste imports, such
as end-of-life computers, TVs, and cell phones.
“The electronics that improve our everyday
lives often end up discarded in developing countries where improper
disposal can threaten the health of local people and the
environment,” said Michelle DePass, assistant administrator
for EPA”s Office of International and Tribal Affairs.
“EPA recognizes this urgent concern and is committed to
working with domestic and international partners, such as UN
University’s StEP Initiative, to address these
issues.”
The grant to UNU is part of a larger EPA-led
effort to address electronic waste that includes building capacity
in developing countries to stop illegal importation, as well as
collecting and disseminating best practices for e-waste recycling,
reuse, and refurbishment. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has
made the issue a top priority for the agency, and has affirmed
EPA’s commitment in visits to e-waste handling facilities in
Africa and China.
As part of a life-cycle program to reduce
environmental and health risks, EPA will collaborate with members
of the UNU-led StEP (Solving the E-Waste Problem) on ways to
improve the production, recycling and final disposal of electronic
products. Objectives under the grant with UNU include:
· Assessing
the routes by which used electronics leave the country and
developing better ways to measure the amount of waste.
· Coordinating
international efforts, including research, tracking, data
collection, analysis and information sharing.
· Creating
science-based pilot and demonstration projects for e-waste
refurbishment and disposal.
More information on EPA’s E-waste efforts:
http://www.epa.gov/international/toxics/ewaste.html