Recycling e-waste ?

The world needs standards for the recycling of electronics like computers or televisions. That's why a program led by an alliance between private and public agencies, called StEP (Solve the E-waste Problem), has been established. Its mission is to provide rules and procedures for recycling e-waste.

This plan has recently been  accused of uselessness because rich countries continue to dump their waste in poor countries. Evenf if it has many excellent aspects, there is a loophole in this convention which autorized people in rich countries to export their e-waste if it is to be recycled. But it is often ending up in rubbish dumps and contaminating groundwater.

Professor Markus Reuter, an Australian-based chemical engineer and StEP participant, has been trying to solve this problem. He is the chief executive of a company which has developped a technology to recycle e-waste.

To date, this technology isn't very used because it's cheaper to send e-waste in developing countries but StEP must continue on this path.