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Media Release

Managing electronic waste in North America

Public forum to focus on environmental issues, solutions for the region’s e-waste challenge

Montreal, 10 June 2011—Have you ever wondered what happens to that old laptop, computer, or monitor you had to finally get rid of? Do you know if or where they may be disposed or recycled?

In a world that is increasingly dependent on computers and other electronic devices, dealing with e-waste has become a real challenge for governments, businesses and communities to face.

On Tuesday, 21 June, officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States, as well as experts such as Sarah Westervelt, e-Stewardship Policy Director of the Basel Action Network, will meet in a public forum on e-waste issues and management in North America.

The forum, organized by the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), will also feature the participation of companies like Dell Computers and Mexican electronics recycler REMSA. Topics include the accelerating growth of e-waste and how the three North American countries can foster better management through product design and recycling, as well as cooperate on law enforcement to stop the illegal trade in used equipment and waste.

What do you think are the greatest obstacles to e-waste recovery and recycling? How can we protect the environment, while developing business solutions in this area? What can be done to raise public awareness of the environmental problems associated with e-waste?

We want to hear your voice. We invite you to register and participate in person, or from anywhere in the world via webcast, at the June 21st conference, to be held in the Palais des Congrès in Montreal, Canada, starting at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern time).

The meeting will be webcast on the CEC website, with simultaneous translation in English, French and Spanish. Comments and questions may be submitted online at the website, or through Facebook.com/JPACForum and @JPACcec on Twitter.

About the CEC

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations

The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.

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