Job Creation 101: Stop Exporting America's Electronic Waste

"Win-win." "Win-win-win." "Win-win-win-win?"

Politicians often find themselves jockeying over how many "wins" they can string together in one of Washington, D.C.'s most overused catchphrases. Ironically, right under their noses is a real and totally missed winning opportunity to create jobs.

This Thursday, March 17th, the Nonprofit Technology Network is hosting eCycleDC!, a one-of-a-kind electronics recycling event, as part of its national day of service. I'm really impressed with the thought behind the program.

Here's how it works:

On March 17th, any company, non-profit or government agency that wants to recycle its surplus computer equipment can, at no cost, bring it to the Community of Creative Non-Violence (CCNV) Homeless Shelter, just a few blocks from Capitol Hill (See the website for a list of acceptable donations and more details). 

Volunteers will be unloading the equipment, but the donations will seed a new program to provide homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals job training and income opportunities in electronics recycling. Then, the refurbished computer systems will be provided to low-income families in the District.

The program, which is operated in partnership with the DC and federal governments, Cisco Corporation, and non-profit organizations, is billing itself as the world's first-ever "non-profit technology recycling company operated by the homeless."

So—win, win, win?

This is a local solution to create jobs in DC and prevent toxic pollution created by the nation's growing mountains of discarded electronics, which are accumulating at a rate of 400 million pieces of equipment a year. But just a few blocks away, members of Congress have the opportunity to pass legislation that could spur similar programs nationwide.

In the U.S., too many computers, TVs, and smartphones end up sent to landfills or incinerators, where they are left to leach their toxic substances into the water or emit them into the air. The sad fact is that, even when they are supposedly accepted by an electronics recycler, there is little guarantee of responsible disposal.

As the Nonprofit Technology Network puts it: "Most electronics 'recyclers' here in the U.S. don't really recycle at all. Instead, they ship containers full of our e-waste to developing countries like China, India, and Nigeria." That's where some of the world's poorest people are left to disassemble them to remove valuable parts, which include toxic metals.

The difference between the homeless of the U.S. recycling our used electronics and slum dwellers in India is a matter of justice. Here, we have health and safety regulations, and work in a proper recycling program is a decent opportunity. In China, India and elsewhere, there is none of that—workers are being paid dirt wages, while putting their health in peril as they breathe toxic air without the benefit of protective equipment or health and safety regulations.

When is the U.S. going to stop exporting our toxic pollution problems? On the flip side, are we going to take advantage of this opportunity to create a safe recycling industry in the U.S.?

The answer is up to Congress. Last year, a bill that would make it illegal for U.S. electronics recyclers to ship toxic e-waste to developing nations did not even make it out of committee. Sign the Nonprofit Technology Network's petition to Congress to take immediate action this year and reconsider the bill.

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Photo credit: Curtis Palmer via Flickr