GSA has issued new guidance for the disposal of electronic hardware, or "federal electronic assets" (FEA), banning federal agencies from disposing of electronic waste in landfills and requiring them to use certified recyclers instead.
The guidance flows out of a report by an Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship co-chaired by the White House, EPA and GSA.
GSA issued a bulletin encouraging agencies to reuse functional FEA that is usable (showing some wear but otherwise functional without significant repair) or that is cost effective to repair.
Otherwise agencies should transfer the property to other federal agencies or schools, donate it – via GSA – to states and eligible non-profits, or sell it.
If property needs to be destroyed agencies should, under their abandonment/destruction authority, return it to a manufacturer or vendor under a take back program that uses a certified recycler, or have it refurbished. The guidance – GSA bulletin FMR B-34 – states that FEA is not to be disposed of in landfills or by incineration.
"The federal government as a whole is the nation’s largest consumer of electronics, and through this policy it will now be a more responsible user of electronics," said GSA administrator Martha Johnson in announcing the policy.
"These steps are protecting human health and the environment, while supporting jobs in the growing e-waste industry," she added.
