Especially in an economic slowdown, recycling electronics is just smart business, according to Robert Houghton, president of technology change management provider Redemtech. Many companies tend to use equipment longer. They refurbish it rather than dumping it, or they donate it to a non-profit so it will be reused. They participate in manufacturer "buyback" programs so that their equipment will be properly recycled and they can make a little money to boot. And many of them do it voluntarily.

Not that voluntary participation in recycling programs is bad. But other than a desire to be socially responsible, there's not much to motivate participation.

First, recycling doesn't exactly save money. Houghton says, "Exporters are paid a few cents per pound, whereas proper recycling costs a company like Redemtech a few cents per pound net of materials recovery values. So companies that adopt a policy of responsible recycling are choosing to incur a small incremental expense that is a component of responsible electronics ownership."

Secondly, fewer than half of the 50 U.S. states currently have electronic equipment recycling requirements on the books, and the federal government has yet to pass an e-waste recycling mandate. If it's the right thing to do, why isn't there legislation on the subject?

Kate Sinding, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, says it's simple. "There's been a lot of trouble in reaching consensus among the various stakeholders ... and an awful lot of that has to do with the issue of exporting e-waste." Sinding says. She says it will probably take legislation from Congress completely forbidding the exportation of e-waste before all the stakeholders will be able to get on the same page as to how e-waste should be handled in the U.S. And given the current state of the economy, Matt Decareau, director of business development for recycler M&K Recovery Group, says Congress won't make e-waste recycling a priority just now.

Not that the stakeholders in the e-waste debate haven't tried to develop standards before. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a working group to establish responsible recycling practices. Known as R2, the practices that have come out of the group so far are "a set of guidelines" and "not legal requirements" according to the EPA's Web site. The list includes such things as, "Develop and use a management system that covers environmental, worker safety and public health practices on-site and downstream management of end-of-life equipment and materials," and "Exercise due diligence in ensuring that downstream recyclers and processors manage recycled materials appropriately, throughout the downstream recycling chain."

Houghton says the latter is most important for companies looking to recycle their equipment. "Companies need to be very careful that their recycler is a true recycler and not simply an exporter of toxic e-waste," he says. "The recycling industry in general has become pretty expert at finding the loopholes and cheating." He points to a 60 Minutes piece on "The Electronic Wasteland" for examples of recycling industry abuses. In fact, Houghton estimates that nearly 90 percent of e-waste from the U.S. is exported to other countries.

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