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From 2004, the State of California introduced a Electronic Waste Recycling Fee on all new monitors and televisions sold to cover the cost of recycling, which was adjusted on July 1, 2005 in order to match the real cost of recycling. The amount of the fee
depends on the size of the monitor. Canada has also begun to take responsibility for electronics recycling by introducng a fee similar to that of California to the cost of purchasing new televisions, computers, and computer components in British Columbia with effect from August 2007. The new legislation made recycling mandatory for all of those products.

The European Union, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan have already demanded that sellers and manufacturers of electronics be responsible for recycling 75 per cent of them.

Many Asian countries have legislated, or will do so, for electronic waste recycling. The United States Congress is considering a number of electronic waste bills including the National Computer Recycling Act, which has continually stalled. Meanwhile, several states have passed their own laws regarding electronic waste management.

It's an astonishing number that will send millions of pounds of lead to landfills or overseas. Non-digital TVs contain up to eight pounds of lead, which is a potent neurotoxin. While new digital flat screen TVs don't have lead, they do contain mercury, another neurotoxin. "It's no longer illegal in the US to export E-waste (electronic waste) to developing countries. Changes in rules and regulations in recent years to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency, have created an appalling system that makes it easy to dump E-waste on the developing world." The act states that exports of hazardous waste can only go forward after the receiving country has officially agreed to accept it.

However, loop-holes and exemptions mean hardly any E-waste is considered hazardous and is, therefore, legal for export without informing recipient countries. Just recently, changes by the Bush Administration allows computer monitors and TVs that all contain mercury and lead to be exported as long as they are going for recycling. Despite being the largest producer of E-waste, the US has refused to sign the international Basel Convention to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to developing countries.

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Dr. Gursharan Singh Kainth started his career as Lecturer at Post Graduate Dept. of Economics, Government College, Gurdaspur, and later at Khalsa College; Amritsar, specializes in Quantitative & Development Economics. Has the distinction of serving Punjab Agricultural Univ, Ludhiana, for more than 2 decades and remained Director-Principal of Saint Soldier Management & Technical Institute, Jalandhar. Currently, heading GAD Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar, a self-financed research institute. Has been honoured with various awards, including Guru Draunacharya Samman, Vijay Rattan Award, etc.
Article posted on February 22, 2009.