A similar bill was scheduled to be introduced in the Senate this week.

The House bill would allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set limits for small amounts of hazardous materials to be included in e-waste exports. Exempted from the export ban would be products being returned under warranty for repair and products being recalled.

The new e-waste bill is that Thompson and Green introduced in September 2010. That bill failed to pass before Congress adjourned.

Some e-waste recyclers in the U.S. will likely oppose the bill, Green said. But the legislation will have bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and should have a good chance of passing, he said.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a trade group, said the legislation could hurt U.S. businesses and backfire against efforts to improve overseas recycling operations.