by Shane Henson — March 12, 2012—The U.S General Services Administration (GSA) has taken a strong stance on reducing e-waste within the federal government through its new guidelines banning all federal agencies from disposing of electronic waste in landfills.
According to the GSA, the policy will ensure that the federal government is leading by example and that all of its electronics are managed effectively in the disposal process. Electronics such as mobile phones, computers, monitors, and copy machines are made from valuable and reusable resources such as rare earth materials, precious metals, plastic, and glass, notes the GSA. These devices also contain hazardous and toxic materials, and they must be disposed of properly in order to prevent pollution and risks to public health.
The policy, outlined in a bulletin to federal agencies recently, directs federal agencies to reuse electronics to the maximum extent possible and then direct non-functioning products to certified e-waste recyclers. As electronics reach the end of their utility, asset managers will offer these products to be reused at other agencies, schools, state and local governments, or offer them for sale.
Federal agencies are being banned from disposing of these materials in landfills or incinerators, and instead they will now send them to third-party certified e-waste recyclers—under R2 or eStewards—when reuse is not an option. Additionally, recipients of used government electronics are being encouraged to follow the same reuse and certified recycling standards as the federal government.
The policy also incorporates transparency and accountability into this process by requiring federal agencies to track the volume and destination of electronics they send out for reuse and recycling and report that data online annually, which GSA will make available to the public on Data.gov.
