The EPA estimates that in 2009, the United States disposed of 2.37 million tons of e-waste, 25% of which was recycled domestically. United States e-waste management includes recycling and reuse programs, domestic landfill dumping, and international shipments of domestically produced e-waste. According to the United States EPA, toxic substances such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium are often released into the environment and endanger whole communities these toxic contaminants can have detrimental effects on the health of ecosystems and living organisms. E-waste management is critical due to the toxic chemicals present in electronic devices. The National Strategy for Electronic Stewardship was co-founded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and the General Services Administration (GSA), and was introduced in 2011 to focus on federal action to establish electronic stewardship in the United States. The United States does not have an official federal e-waste regulation system, yet certain states have implemented state regulatory systems. Electronics are the primary users of precious and special metals, retrieving those metals from electronics can be viewed as important as raw metals may become more scarce There is also an economic factor that has an effect on where and how e-waste is disposed of. Only recently has the United States begun to make an effort to start regulating where e-waste goes and how it is disposed of. The United States is the world leader in producing the most e-waste, followed closely by China both countries domestically recycle and export e-waste. Used electronics are the quickest-growing source of waste and can have serious health impacts. Cathode ray tube monitors being packed for shipping.Įlectronic waste or e-waste in the United States refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the United States is beginning to address its waste problems with regulations at a state and federal level.
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