Chris Carlson

Goodwill Industries, Rockville, Md., testified before the House Science and Technology Committee, and urged Congress to assist in the development of a recycling and reuse infrastructure for unwanted electronics. With an increasing amount of e-waste donations to local Goodwill agencies throughout the country, company officials say they are feeling the financial strain associated with the collection and environmentally safe disposal of e-waste donations.

According to the company, a survey of Goodwill agencies found that 23 million pounds of e-waste - the equivalent of roughly 821,000 computers - were donated to Goodwill alone in 2004.

In addition to developing an infrastructure, the company is asking Congress to support incentives to manufacturers for product design changes, as well tax credits for manufacturers that partner with social agencies.