E-Waste Knowledge Center

The federal government and the defense industry are enacting new policies and practices that prevent the introduction of counterfeit components into supply chains along with methods to detect them should they slip through, yet, despite several attempts, no federal e-waste recycling mandate currently exists.

Two previous bipartisan bills were introduced which would forbid U.S. companies from exporting e-waste: H.R.2284 - Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (introduced June 22, 2011) and H.R.2791 - Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (introduced July 23, 2013). Both versions of the bill died.

In June of 2019, another version of the bill was introduced: H.R.3559 – Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) to "stop the flow of e-waste to China and other countries that regularly counterfeit electronics."

In January of 2022, H.R. 4521 - The America COMPETES Act of 2022 was introduced in the US House of Representatives. The America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022 aims to boost the USA’s competitiveness with China in semiconductor manufacturing and research and includes a section prohibiting e-waste exports. The relevant language in the bill mirrors language contained in SEERA, which has failed to move past introduction in the legislature.



ERAI created this knowledge center as a resource to help educate organizations and individuals to better understand the role e-waste plays in today’s counterfeit epidemic and to make you aware of global initiatives to control the export of electronic waste (e-waste) in order to ensure that such waste does not become a source of counterfeit goods that may reenter military and civilian electronics supply chains.

Currently the following resources have been compiled for your convenience:

  • E-waste In the News – A live news feed intended to keep you up-to-date.

  • Featured Papers and Articles – A library of white papers and relevant articles.

  • Get Involved – Learn what you can do to stop the exportation of E-waste

  • Government Responses – Global initiatives committed to preventing the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries.

  • E-Waste Initiatives – Organizations working to pass legislation and raise awareness.

  • Legislation – The introduction of the Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA).

  • Videos – A library of educational documentaries that capture the perils of improper recycling.