SEATTLE, Wa. - June 11 - The Environmental Protection Agency filed a Complaint and Compliance Order late last week against EarthEcycle, the electronic waste handler for several charity e-waste collection events held in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in recent days.  The events include those run by two Humane Society branches, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and Boy Scout Troop 30 will hold such a collection event tomorrow.    Basel Action Network (BAN) tracked 7 sea-going containers of the collected toxic e-waste to Hong Kong and South Africa after assurances were made by EarthEcycle owner, Mr. Jeffrey Nixon, that the wastes would be recycled locally.   The EPA complaint cites 7 violation counts for illegal management and exportation of “Cathode Ray Tubes” – the picture tube of old computer monitors and TVs.  The counts include “unauthorized export of hazardous waste” and “failure to prepare a hazardous waste manifest.”   

Even following BAN’s release of its investigation on May 26th, the Humane Society of Western Pennsylvania refused to break its partnership with EarthEcycle, the Make-a-Wish Foundation refused to cancel its event, and it appears the Boy Scout event is going forward although BAN warned them yesterday.  Meanwhile, even though Mr. Nixon later admitted that he exported the material, as recently as yesterday Mr. Nixon told local television reporters that “Nothing wrong has been done anywhere. It's all hearsay."  

BAN has been at the forefront of exposing the “cyber-age” nightmare of electronic waste exportation to developing countries.  In 2002 and 2005, BAN released two documentary films “Exporting Harm” and “The Digital Dump”, shining a spotlight on the horrors of the global e-waste trade and the very damaging impacts of toxic constituents in electronic products on the workers and environments of communities in Africa and China.   Recent studies in Guiyu, China, “ground zero” of the international waste trade, show some of the highest levels of dioxin, lead and other cancer-causing pollutants ever recorded.   Blood levels in 80 percent of the children in Guiyu are elevated and already demonstrable brain impairment has been recorded. 

BAN estimates that 80% of the electronic waste given to recyclers in the US and Canada does not get recycled in this continent, but is quickly exported due to a lack of adequate law, or inadequate enforcement of laws that do exist.   BAN, together with the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC), is seeking national legislation**  to ban the export of all toxic e-waste (not just CRTs) to developing countries as European countries have already done.  And BAN has created the e-Stewards Initiative – a list of responsible e-cyclers* that have agreed not to export hazardous e-wastes to developing countries.  

** A bill introduced last month by Congressman Thompson and Green is unfortunately insupportable as it allows a massive loophole for exports claimed to be sent for “reuse”, a common ruse of unscrupulous exporters.

*For a list of e-Steward Recyclers including Pittsburgh area recyclers visit: www.e-Stewards.org