Is Your Recycled Electronic Waste Poisoning Our World?

June 01, 2010

                                                                                                                                                                                                     Contacts:                  

Lori Telson, 408-893-5677                                                    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     Marci Gerston, 408.930.3406

Jennifer Wood-Taylor, 408-835.6708                                           May 25, 2010                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                    SAN JOSE, CA                                                                     

                                                                              MEDIA ALERT

      Is Your Recycled Electronic Waste Poisoning Our World?

Faith and Community Leaders Urge the Public and Government Officials to Use e-Steward Certified Recyclers and Adopt New Policies to Guarantee Safe Recycling of our Computers, Printers, TVs and Cell Phones

Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 7 p.m., Temple Emanu-El

1010 University Ave., San José

WHAT:  The United States is the largest electronic waste polluter in the world.  An estimated 70-80 percent of the electronic waste that’s given to recyclers is exported to less developed countries

where the poor crudely recover valuable metals under unsafe conditions resulting in severe health risks, birth defects, local ground and water pollution, and global air pollution. While Federal and California state laws protect our state from dumping toxic electronic waste into landfills, exporting this waste to foreign countries is not restricted.  Basel Action Network’s e-Stewards certification program ensures a recycler will handle electronic waste responsibly.

WHO:  PACT Community Leaders from Temple Emanu-El will ask San Jose District 2’s Councilmember Ash Kalra and other invited officials to:

 1) Bring forward a policy that the City of San Jose itself use only e-Steward certified recyclers, or those who are pledged as "true stewards" through e-Stewards.org.

2) To indicate on the City's website those e-waste recyclers who are e-Stewards certified or in the certification process as true stewards.

3) Propose a policy that all e-waste recyclers who do recycling in San José be e-Stewards certified or be true stewards.