page_title: Electronic waste by country
section_title: Government regulation
hierarchical_section_title: Electronic waste by country / Government regulation
caption_attribution_description: English: Recyclers with old computers São Paulo March 2012
context_page_description: Electronic waste is a significant part of today's global, post-consumer waste stream. Efforts are being made to recycle and reduce this waste.
context_section_description: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) tends to support the repair and recycling trade. Mining to produce the same metals, to meet demand for finished products in the west, also occurs in the same countries, and UNCTAD has recommended that restrictions against recycling exports be balanced against the environmental costs of recovering those materials from mining. Hard rock mining produces 45% of all toxins produced by all industries in the United States.
  Greenpeace contends that residue problems are so significant that the exports of all used electronics should be banned.
caption: Scavengers in São Paulo, Brazil with e-waste in the form of computers
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