Call to Action From Electronics TakeBack Coalition

As a service to the community, and as a continuation of my article series on the eWaste problem, I am passing on this mail, just received from Joey Appley-Epstein:

Hi Marguerite Manteau-Rao,

My name is Joey Appley-Epstein, and I’m contacting you on behalf of a campaign called ‘Take Back My TV‘ organized by the people from the Computer TakeBack Campaign (now called the Electronics TakeBack Coalition).

Currently, tons upon tons of toxic e-waste is being dumped in China and Nigeria, where workers are exposed to lead, mercury, beryllium and brominated flame retardants, without any kinds of protection at all. The situation is expected to get far worse as we gear up for 2009, when many will be throwing away their older TVs in light of the new digital television requirements.

The goal for the Take Back My TV campaign, therefore, is to pressure TV manufacturers to offer national programs for take-back and recycling to their customers, and to build the infrastructure and programs needed before 2009. Their efforts have already persuaded Sony to sign their ‘Manufacturer Commitment to Responsible E-Waste Recycling‘ pledge, and the AP recently covered their efforts. However, it’s critical that we begin to further pressure manufacturers, and therefore we’re looking to spread the word and urging citizens to take action — and to think twice before throwing their televisions in the trash.

We’ve produced a short, 45-second YouTube video here:

Best,

Joey Appley-Epstein