Step publishes a green paper on the Effect of Waste Legislation on TBM of EEE Destined for Reuse

January 19th, 2016: The United Nations Solving the E-waste Problem (Step) Initiative, founded in 2007, is a global consortium of companies, research institutes, governmental agencies, international organisations and NGOs dedicated to advancing the management and development of environmentally, economically and ethically sound e-waste resource recovery, reuse and prevention.

Last week, the initiative published a new green paper on the effect of Waste legislation on transboundary movements (TBM) of EEE for reuse. This report evaluates current transboundary  shipment legislation and its influence on the movement of used electrical and  electronic equipment (UEEE) destined for reuse and/or refurbishment. The report identified a number of barriers obstructing the transboundary movement of e-waste for reuse and/or refurbishment. The predominant obstructions were insufficient definitions for distinguishing between waste and non-waste and the discrepancies in transposition into national legislation. These barriers create time delays and confusion when exporters apply for transboundary licensing, and in some cases, they generate increased costs for reuse organizations, which renders their activities unprofitable. This regularly leads to high-quality equipment being recycled domestically rather than shipped abroad for refurbishment and reuse.

Click here to read the full report