IIB 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1580 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
APRIL 23, 2009 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency to award grants for electronic device recy-
cling research, development, and demonstration projects, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Device Re-
cycling Research and Development Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The volume of electronic devices in the 
United States is substantial and will continue to 
grow. The Environmental Protection Agency esti-
mates that over 2 billion computers, televisions, 
wireless devices, printers, gaming systems, and other 
devices have been sold since 1980, generating 2 mil-
lion tons of unwanted electronic devices in 2005 
alone. 
(2) Electronic devices can be recycled or refur-
bished to recover and conserve valuable materials, 
such as gold, copper, and platinum. However, ac-
cording to the Environmental Protection Agency, 
only 15 to 20 percent of electronic devices discarded 
from households reach recyclers. 
(3) The electronic device recycling industry in 
the United States is growing; however, challenges re-
main for the recycling of electronic devices by house-
holds and other small generators. Collection of such 
electronic devices is expensive, and separation and 
proper recycling of some of the materials recovered, 
like lead from cathode-ray tube televisions, is costly. 
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(4) The export of unwanted electronic devices 
to developing countries also presents a serious chal-
lenge. The crude methods of many of the recycling 
operations in these countries can expose workers to 
harmful chemicals, jeopardizing their health and pol-
luting the environment. 
(5) Some of the challenges to increasing the 
recyclability of electronic devices can be addressed 
by improving the logistics and technology of the col-
lection and recycling process, designing electronic 
devices to avoid the use of hazardous materials and 
to be more easily recycled, and encouraging the use 
of recycled materials in more applications. 
(6) The public currently does not take full ad-
vantage of existing electronic device recycling oppor-
tunities. Studying factors that influence behavior 
and educating consumers about responsible elec-
tronic device recycling could help communities and 
private industry develop recycling programs that 
draw more participation. 
(7) The development of tools and technologies 
to increase the lifespan of electronic devices and to 
promote their safe reuse would decrease the impact 
of the production of electronic devices on the envi-
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ronment and likely increase the recyclability of such 
devices. 
(8) Accurately assessing the environmental im-
pacts of the production of electronic devices and the 
recycling of such devices is a complex task. Data, 
tools, and methods to better quantify these impacts 
would help policymakers and others determine the 
best end-of-life management options for electronic 
devices. 
SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC DEVICE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, 
DEVELOPMENT, 
AND 
DEMONSTRATION 
PROJECTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall award 
multiyear grants to consortia to conduct research to create 
innovative and practical approaches to manage the envi-
ronmental impacts of electronic devices and, through the 
conduct of this research, to contribute to the professional 
development of scientists, engineers, and technicians in 
the fields of electronic device manufacturing, design, re-
furbishing, and recycling. The grants awarded under this 
section shall support research to— 
(1) increase the efficiency of and improve elec-
tronic device collection and recycling; 
(2) expand the uses and applications for mate-
rials recovered from electronic devices; 
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(3) develop and demonstrate environmentally 
friendly alternatives to the use of hazardous and po-
tentially hazardous materials in electronic devices 
and the production of such devices; 
(4) develop methods to identify, separate, and 
remove hazardous and potentially hazardous mate-
rials from electronic devices and to reuse, recycle, or 
dispose of such materials in a safe manner; 
(5) reconsider product design and assembly to 
facilitate and improve refurbishment, reuse, and re-
cycling of electronic devices, including an emphasis 
on design for recycling; 
(6) conduct lifecycle analyses of electronic de-
vices, including developing tools and methods to as-
sess the environmental impacts of the production, 
use, and end-of-life management of electronic devices 
and electronic device components; 
(7) develop product design, tools, and tech-
niques to extend the lifecycle of electronic devices, 
including methods to promote their upgrade and 
safe reuse; and 
(8) identify the social, behavioral, and economic 
barriers to recycling and reuse for electronic devices 
and develop strategies to increase awareness, con-
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