Page 46 - Plastics News Issue June 2025
P. 46
FEATURE NEWS
Federal e-scrap export restriction
bill introd uced again
puters and related equipment, data center
equipment, mobile computers, televisions, video
display devices, digital imaging devices and con-
sumer electronics.
It exempts tested, working used electronics,
“low-risk counterfeit electronics” and recalled
electronics. Low-risk counterfeit electronics are
those that have “been subjected to destruc-
tion processes that render the items unusable
for their original purpose” or are exported as a
A for recycling.
feedstock with no additional separation required
federal bill that would restrict U.S. ex-
ports of e-scrap has re-emerged, this
time as HB 2998.
In many ways, the bill language mirrors that of
the Basel Convention, an international treaty
The Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act regulating the trade of various types of end-
has been introduced in various forms a half- of-life materials. The U.S. has never ratified the
dozen times since 2015 and failed to move past convention, one of only a handful of countries
introduction each time. Similar bills but with dif- worldwide not to do so, which imposes extra
ferent names were introduced as early as 2010. export and import restrictions on the U.S. from
party countries. Recent updates to Basel have
Most recently its text was included as part of the
The America Creating Opportunities for Manu- caused some market concern and turmoil even
facturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Eco- among party countries.
nomic Strength Act of 2022. While the larger bill The Coalition for American Electronics Recycling
passed, the SEERA language was removed prior has long supported SEERA and its iterations,
to passage. while the Recycled Materials Association has op-
posed SEERA legislation in the past.
HB 2998 was introduced on April 24 and referred
to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. CAER is again actively working with Congress on
this bill, the organization noted in an email, and
The aim of SEERA is to “control the export of
electronic waste in order to ensure that such is hopeful that the recent federal focus on do-
waste does not become the source of counter- mestic recovery of critical materials will give it a
feit goods that may reenter military and civilian boost this year.
electronics supply chains in the United States,” Source – E-source News
according to the bill text. The bill covers com-
46 PLASTICS NEWS June 2025
