"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 where it is broken down in horrific, primitive operations that
jeopardize Asian workers and environments alike.
After some further research, Swain resolved to find an American solution to the e-waste problem.
Swain'sTOXTOUR doesn't just educate schoolchildren about the challenges posed by e-waste. The TOXTOUR advocates legislative solutions--mining laws that protect ecosysytems and e-waste laws focused on producer responsibility--and holds e-waste events to recover and ethically recycle the e-waste that lurks in garages, company warehouses, and desk drawers across North America.
Before he could set out to recover one billion pounds of e-waste though, Swain had to locate a recycler willing to abide by the highest international standards.
BAN, SVTC, and
the other environmental organizations making up the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (CTBC) had worked to develop the Electronic Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship. One of the signatories of this pledge, WeRecycle!, became the TOXTOUR's ethical recycling partner.
Partnered with a recycler willing to meet the highest international and ethical standards, Swain was finally ready to launch his TOXTOURTM.
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