
Then: In 2005, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives were leading a bipartisan effort to fund computer recycling programs and require the EPA to study potential solutions to e-waste.
Now: The Congressional E-Waste Working Group is working diligently to educate consumers about e-waste’s negative effects. In July 2013, members introduced the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (H.R. 2791), which would make it illegal to send toxic e-waste to developing nations. The bill was sponsored by group co-founder Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and is awaiting passage in the House. In the eight years since the group’s launch, 20 states have passed e-waste regulations.