SPEC, BAN, the Toronto Environmental Alliance, and Montreal-based Clean Production Action are calling on Canada to immediately ratify an international accord banning such export and to follow Europe's lead and enact provincial and national legislation calling for manufacturer responsibility for managing the end- of-life of electronics products.

BAN coordinator Jim Puckett displayed evidence of Canadian e-waste collected in Guiyu, China, late last year by a BAN team that included Puckett and Chinese-Canadian researcher Clement Lam. One was a tag attached to an obsolete computer printer from the Department of National Defence. Another was a sticker from a Vancouver office of Air Canada. BAN claims the Canadian government is not upholding its Basel Convention obligation to control exports of electronic waste containing hazardous materials such as leachable lead in circuit boards and leaded cathode ray tubes. The exported "e-waste" is dumped in rural Asian communities where it is handled under conditions that jeopardize workers and the environment.

"Canada claims to be a good global citizen, but when it comes to efforts to stem the tide of toxic waste, they are one of the worst players on the global stage," said Puckett.

According to BAN, Canada has not only worked against the global adoption of a total ban on the export of hazardous wastes from rich to poor countries, but once it was adopted within the Basel Convention they then worked to try and weaken it. "Now we find they are turning a blind eye to illegal shipments of hazardous e-waste, even to countries that have specifically banned their importation," Puckett said.

In April of 2000 China announced a ban on the importation of e-wastes and waste computers. China recently extended the ban to include more electronic wastes. Under the Basel Convention, Parties to the Convention such as Canada are forbidden from exporting hazardous wastes to countries that have banned their import (such as China), even when such wastes are considered hazardous by the importing state alone.

The European Union has not only banned the export of all hazardous e- wastes by implementing the Basel Ban, but has recently passed directives forcing industry to manage the end-of-life of e- wastes, and phase out toxic compounds in those products.

The Recycling Council of BC is also concerned about growing e-waste in Canada and has compiled Canadian data on e-waste and fostered discussion of regulatory options. "RCBC has long supported the Industry Product Stewardship approach to waste management and prevention," said Karen Asp, RCBC Policy Director.