E-waste can be loosely defined as obsolete, broken, irreparable, or unwanted electronic devices such as televisions, computer monitors, laptops, printers, and cell phones. E-waste is a growing concern both in the US and across the globe due to the increasingly high volumes in which it is generated, the hazardous materials it contains, and the lack of regulations associated with its management and disposal.

Businesses and consumers play two roles related to e-waste: purchasers of electronic equipment and disposers of e-waste. Both roles are equally important to solving the e-waste problem. Companies should incorporate purchasing considerations into their e-waste policies; buying electronic devices with fewer toxic parts, more recycled materials, and minimal packaging can help mitigate the e-waste problem.

In terms of disposal, businesses have several options, including recycling, donating reusable electronics, and returning the appliance to the manufacturer. Recycling recovers more than 100 million pounds of materials from electronics per year, while reducing pollution that would be generated during the manufacture of new products. However, according to an EPA estimate in 2009, 2.37 million tons of e-waste was generated in the US, and yet only 25 percent was recycled. Most e-waste continues to end up in landfills or incinerators, even though the toxic materials contained in them risks leaching into groundwater and streams.

There are also potential dangers associated with recycling, particularly when recycling involves the export of e-waste to developing countries where environmental controls are less stringent. A substantial amount of exported e-waste ends up in countries like China and India, where scrap appliances are harvested for valuable parts and the remainder is landfilled in open spaces. The challenge for businesses that recycle electronic goods and for consumers who use free drop-off events is determining where their device's final resting place will be.

Since it is often unclear what becomes of e-waste that is recycled, many businesses are seeking out recyclers certified as e-Stewards. The e-Stewards Certification is a global program designed to help individuals and organizations identify electronic equipment recyclers that adhere to the highest standard of environmental responsibility and worker protection. e-Stewards-certified electronics recyclers adhere to rigorous standards and are subject to yearly audits by accredited, independent, and specially trained certification bodies.

From a manufacturer's perspective, there is growing interest in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). When adopting this philosophy, companies take on greater levels of responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products from the point of manufacturing through to end-of-life recycling. Many of the US state regulations mandate EPR.

In the US, e-waste is essentially unregulated at the federal level, and in most circumstances it can be disposed in municipal solid waste landfills. However, legislation has been steadily increasing at the state and municipal levels. As of 2011, 25 states had passed laws related to e-waste disposal. The states are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Arkansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire all have some bans or fees related to e-waste disposal.