An initiative by the Basel Action Network helped stop illegal e-scrap imports in Southeast Asia, the organization said. | Photo by EARTH Thailand / Provided courtesy of BAN
Officials in Malaysia and Thailand seized containers with hundreds of tons of e-scrap illegally imported from the United States earlier this month after tips from the U.S. nonprofit Basel Action Network. Continue Reading
An April 30 Defense memo echoes recent congressional efforts to allow the military to repair its own equipment, which helps reduce costs. | Bumble Dee/Shutterstock
As part of a broader initiative to increase efficiency, the U.S. secretary of defense has called for the Army to include the right to repair products in its procurement contracts, adding support to previous congressional efforts. Continue Reading
The Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act has been introduced at least six times since 2015, as well as included in other bills, but has not yet passed. | MOLPIX/Shutterstock
A federal bill that would restrict U.S. exports of e-scrap has re-emerged, this time as HB 2998. Continue Reading
Gov. Bob Ferguson has 20 days to sign the bills into law after they are delivered to his desk. | Zack Frank/Shutterstock
A right-to-repair electronics bill is sitting on the Washington governor’s desk, while a bill that would again delay the state’s extended producer responsibility program for solar panels is now law. Continue Reading
Smartphones and laptops are exempt from U.S. tariffs targeting Chinese imports, but other goods are currently subject to 145% in duties. | Metamorworks/Shutterstock
Country-specific reciprocal tariffs have been pushed out until July, but a universal base rate tariff rolled out last week, which covers all countries, and earlier metals tariffs remain in effect. Meanwhile, an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China is intensifying. Continue Reading
Sixteen states have introduced bills this year addressing the right to repair electronic devices. | VILevi/Shutterstock
This year has been a busy one for policy concerning e-scrap and electronics, with several dozen bills filed in states across the country. Continue Reading
URT, one of the few companies that continues to process CRT devices, was cited in 2023 and 2024 for workplace safety issues partially due to lead and cadmium exposure. | Underworld/Shutterstock
ITAD and cathode ray tube device processor Universal Recycling Technologies announced that its e-Stewards certification will be suspended for 30 days, following an OSHA fine over worker exposure to lead and cadmium. Continue Reading
The EPA administrator pointed to staffing, office space and grants as areas to cut agency spending. | John Hanson Pye/Shutterstock
Details are scarce on U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s plans to cut his agency’s spending by 65% or more, but some of its 15,000 full-time-equivalent positions and grants to recycling programs across the country could be on the chopping block. Continue Reading
Containers of retired assets at the FBI were being stored in an unsecured area for weeks at a time, including unlabeled hard drives. | Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Justice
A recent criminal case involving device theft during federal government asset disposition jobs is shining new light on 2024 audits highlighting IT asset management weaknesses at the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Continue Reading
Lee Zeldin, a former congressman from New York, is the new administrator of the U.S. EPA. | Courtesy of C-Span
There are few indications how incoming U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin might shift the agency’s solid waste and recycling work, but he won the support of the Recycled Materials Association and other stakeholders who say he likely brings an understanding of local solid waste management challenges. Continue Reading