Santa Clara Passes E-Waste Restriction Bill
SAN JOSE (AP) -- Santa Clara County supervisors have passed a bill that aims to stop electronic waste such as computers from being shipped overseas for recycling.
The county ordinance requires anyone who collects e-waste to take it to a recycling company certified by e-Steward. The e-Steward program tries to prevent the waste from going to poor countries overseas, where it can be broken down cheaply because companies may rely on children to perform the work.
Those children can be exposed to lead, mercury and other toxic materials as they try to salvage valuable parts.
The ordinance, passed on Tuesday, applies to unincorporated parts of the county. It goes into effect on Jan. 1.
Three of the four state-approved e-waste recyclers in the county are already certified with e-Steward.
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