"Electronic waste, "e-waste" or "Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment" ("WEEE") is a waste type consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic
appliance. It is a point of concern considering that many components of
such equipment are considered toxic and are not biodegradable." --Courtesy of Wikipedia
When Christopher Swain read “Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia,” in
February 2002, a report co-authored by the Basel Action Network (BAN) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), he learned that 80% of the electronic or computer waste collected for recycling in North America, does not get
recycled in North America, but is quickly exported from “recyclers” to
Asia and Africa where it is broken down in horrific, primitive operations that
jeopardize workers, waterways, and ecosystems.
After some further research, Swain resolved to find an American solution to the e-waste problem.
Swain's TOXTOUR doesn't just educate schoolchildren about the global challenge of e-waste. The TOXTOUR holds e-waste events to recover and recycle, ethically, the used elctronics that lurk in the garages, attics, and desk drawers of North America, and advocates upstream and downstream legislative solutions--mining laws that protect ecosystems and e-waste laws focused on producer responsibility.
Finally, the TOXTOUR actively seeks signatories for two documents designed to get us closer to a healthy world: the Healthy Design Initiative and the Electronic Waste Code of Ethics.
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