EPA and the Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan (EPAT) have collaborated since 2011 to build global capacity for the environmentally sound management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), which is commonly called e-waste. To support this goal, EPA and EPAT coordinate the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN). The IEMN enables environmental officials from within and beyond the Asia-Pacific region to exchange information and best practices on e-waste management.

Learn more about our work with the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN):

• Fourth Annual IEMN Meeting (2014)
  • Presentations and Handouts
• Third Annual IEMN Meeting (2013) 
  • Presentations and Handouts
• International WEEE Management Workshop (2012)
  • Session Handouts
• Related Information Resources

Fourth Annual IEMN Meeting (2014)

Participants from around the world participate in the 4th International E-Waste Management Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnan in July 2014

USEPA, Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan (EPAT), and the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) co-hosted the fourth annual meeting of the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN) from July 14-17, 2014 in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

In addition to officials from Vietnam, Taiwan and the United States, representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, Brazil, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Egypt, Canada, Mexico, Washington State and California joined the meeting. 

Participants confirmed their commitment to continuing the network and sharing updates through quarterly teleconferences and annual meetings.  Representatives offered to share additional information on financial structures and incentives from the countries and locations represented by the IEMN.  Participants also expressed interest in continuing to learn about ESM in greater detail, as well as about how to recycle difficult-to-manage wastes such as mercury-containing lamps. 

View and print the meeting report here.

2014 Presentations and Handouts:

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Third Annual IEMN Meeting (2013)

IEMN participants visit California Electronic Asset Recovery.

The 3rd annual meeting of the IEMN (formerly the GEM Network) took place in the United States in July 2013. The meeting was organized by USEPA and EPAT and hosted by CalEPA in Sacramento and USEPA Region 9 in San Francisco. Participants joined from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, and Brazil.  This year’s IEMN sessions featured the e-waste management experiences of U.S. states, with a specific focus on California, Minnesota and Oregon.

IEMN participants engaged in direct dialogue with state officials about how state e-waste programs were developed, where they have been successful, and what challenges lie ahead. Network members also heard from companies and organizations that work on e-waste management in the United States. Non-governmental organizations, certifying bodies and auditors for third-party recycler certification programs, third-party certified recyclers, ansd manufacturers were represented. The IEMN also visited third-party-certified e-waste recyclers in California.

Participants exchanged the latest updates about e-waste management in their own economies, a regular feature of IEMN meetings. These updates were moderated by EPA's Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs, Michelle DePass. In addition, EPA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Lisa Feldt, presented the U.S. National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship. Other EPA presenters shared the recent results of projects under the Strategy.

At the end of the meeting, participants identified priority topics and activities as next steps. The IEMN will continue sharing information on an ongoing basis and through quarterly discussions. The next IEMN meeting will be in Asia in 2014.

View and print the meeting report here.

2013 Presentations and Handouts:

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International WEEE Management Workshop (2012)

The IEMN Network at the 2012 International WEEE Management Workshop, with EPAT Minister Shen and AIT Director Marut.

The October 2012 International WEEE Management Workshop was a week-long meeting in Taipei that focused in-depth on Taiwan's system for recycling WEEE, called the 4-in-1 Recycling Program.

This WEEE Management Workshop was a follow-up to the first international meeting on WEEE that EPA and EPAT co-hosted in June 2011. Participants joined the workshop from Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Colombia, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, and Ghana.

The workshop also featured guest speakers who shared the status of WEEE management in USA, Japan, Singapore and Korea. At the conclusion of the 2012 meeting, the participants decided to form the International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN) in order to exchange information on an ongoing basis.

Some of the highlights of that workshop included:

• EPAT staff presented the development and implementation of the 4-in-1 Recycling Program, including the environmental problems that led EPAT to implement mandatory recycling.
• During site visits to local recycling, collection, and sorting facilities, EPAT and facility staff demonstrated how recyclers in Taiwan implement environmental and worker protections, how the entire 4-in-1 Program (including financial management) is audited, how waste sorting takes place at the community level, and how individuals can sell recyclables to private collectors.
• Throughout the workshop, participants shared the latest developments on WEEE management in their respective countries.

2012 Session Handouts

Used televisions are loaded onto a weigh station before being recycled in Taiwan.

The following handouts were developed by Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan for the 2012 International WEEE Management Network. They describe the detailed components of the system for managing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) under the 4-in-1 Recycling Program in Taiwan. These workshop materials complemented the Case Study on Recycling and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management in Taiwan which was completed in December 2012. They were intended to serve as a resource for policymakers around the world who are working to improve WEEE management.

• Recycling Regulations in Taiwan and the 4-in-1 Recycling Program (PDF)
• How Regulated Recyclable Wastes (RRW) are Selected Under the 4-in-1 Program (PDF)
• Waste Appliance Takeback Policies in Taiwan (PDF)
• Recycling Awareness in Taiwan (PDF)
• Requirements for Manufacturers and Importers under the 4-in-1 Recycling Program (PDF) 
• Auditing of Manufacturers and Importers under the 4-in-1 Program (PDF)
• Recycling Fee Rate Calculation and Sample Exercises (PDF)
• Auditing and Supervision of Collection and Recycling Enterprises (PDF)
• Standards for Registered and Subsidized WEEE Recyclers under the 4-in-1 Program (PDF)
• Printed Circuit Board Recycling Methods (PDF)
• Tracking Systems for Waste and Management of Waste Import/Export (PDF)

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Related Information Resources

• Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes
• Regional Latin American and Caribbean Platform for Electronic Waste (RELAC)
• Nigeria E-Waste Country Assessment
• Ghana E-Waste Country Assessment
• International Dialogue on the Environmentally Sound Management of E-Waste and 5th PACE Physical Meeting Exit (2012)
• U.S. National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship
• Certification programs for electronics recyclers: R2 and E-Stewards

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Contacts

For additional information on EPA's work in Asia, contact:
Mark Kasman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of International and Tribal Affairs (2670R)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
E-mail: kasman.mark@epa.gov
(202) 564-2024