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Global Initiatives
Although the Keokuk County, Iowa waste management plan forbids the dumping of
hazardous wastes, the issue isn’t just a local-level concern. Let’s take a look at some
initiatives that can affect the whole planet—from the residents of Keokuk County to those in
Bukoba, Tanzania.

United Nations
At the highest level of global governance is the United Nations. Seeing that e-waste is a
international concern, it has stepped forward and implemented its Solving the E-waste
Problem (StEP) program.

Solving the E-Waste Problem
Don’t misunderstand—StEP isn’t some sort of military organization where a strike force
wearing hemp berets and carrying weapons made from recycled materials rappels into
office buildings where CRTs are being disposed of unsafely. Rather, StEP is a program that is
open to companies, governmental organizations, academic institutions, nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), and nonprofit organizations around the world. To be involved with
StEP, an organization has to commit to active and productive involvement in the StEP program.
StEP’s prime objectives are as follows:
• Optimizing the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment by improving
supply chains
• Closing material loops
• Reducing contamination
• Increasing the utilization of resources and the reuse of equipment
• Exercising concern about disparities such as the digital divide between
industrializing and industrialized countries
• Increasing public, scientific, and business knowledge
• Developing clear policy recommendations

StEP is based on five principles:
• Work is based on scientific assessments and incorporates a comprehensive view of
the social, environmental, and economic aspects of e-waste.
• StEP conducts research on the entire life cycle of electronic and electrical equipment
and their corresponding global supply, process, and material flows.
• StEP’s research and pilot projects are meant to contribute to the solution of e-waste
problems.
• StEP condemns all illegal activities related to e-waste, including illegal shipments
and reuse and recycling practices that are harmful to the environment and human
health.
• StEP seeks to foster safe, ecological, and energy-efficient reuse and recycling practices
around the globe in a socially responsible manner.