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UN Models Task Force on WEEE
March 8, 2007 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
BONN, Germany The United Nations (UN) has launched a global initiative, solving the e-waste problem (STeP), that brings electronics manufacturers, academics, government officials, and non-government organizations (NGOs) together to develop a global standard for recycling, and to improve the collection and recycling of e-waste. The initiative will follow the framework of the EU's WEEE Directive.
BBC News reports that e-waste is expected to exceed 40 million tons, and is growing 3× faster than other municipal waste. STeP will focus on bringing awareness to the harmful effects of lead solder, polybrominated flame retardants, selenium in PCBs, and cadmium in PCBs and semiconductors, among other chemicals. For more information on the UN's involvement in defining and managing hazardous e-waste, see Africa Discusses E-waste at COP8.
The taskforce will train recyclers in developing countries, where lacking skills and equipment can expose people and the local environment to poisons. It will focus on consumer awareness; government policy; and product design, life cycle, and recyclability in established markets. Demand for electronics and electrical equipment is growing rapidly in transitional countries such as China and India, according to STeP. The global flow of electronic and electrical equipment necessitates this global monitoring, training, and policy, said Ruediger Kuehr, executive secretary of the project.