The burden of disposing an increasing amount of consumer electronic waste, currently estimated at 3 million tons and growing, has contributed to the rise of private firms specializing in "e-junk" recycling. A patchwork of legislation in the U.S. (e.g., Maine, California) relegates the cost incurred from the consumer to manufacturers. Concern for recycling electronics has risen in years due to the proliferation of devices made of with toxic materials like CRT monitors, which contain between four and eight pounds of lead and can seep into underground water supplies if disposed of improperly in a landfill.

The exportation of e-waste to developing countries under the guise of donated used products has created dangerous environmental conditions. A water sample taken from a landfill in Guiyu, China returned lead contamination 2,400 times higher than the World Health Organization standard.

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eWaste Guide
Maine's Bureau Of Electronic Waste
California Imposes CRT Recycling Fee (PC World)