60 Minutes Exposes the Meaning of Unethical E-waste
November 22, 2008 at 11:03 am | Filed under: Electronic Recycling, Green Living, Recycling News, TechnoBlogTake a minute (or really twelve) to watch this segment from 60 Minutes. It comes at an opportune time. Even with the flagging economy, we are entering the peak of retail season, both in terms of consumer and corporate spending. Not only that, but corporations that end their fiscal year with the calendar year are going to be looking to shed their excess assets. All this consumption and churn generates a tremendous amount of e-waste.
In the segment 60 minutes tracks a container from Executive Recycling, an electronics recycling company claiming to be green. The container is full of leaded CRT glass and ends up at a Chinese port. Like Executive Recycling, we use different processors to handle the various materials inside of the e-waste we recycle. Unlike Executive Recycling we use only processors in developed countries that meet or exceed the standards set forth by the government and watch-dog organizations like BAN.
I think it is hard for those outside of the e-waste business to realize the temptation in shipping e-waste over seas. The unscrupulous processors in the far east and Africa will pay top dollar for trash that domestic processing plants may charge money to accept. It is hard to turn down money in this tightening economy. But does being hard make it right? Sorry Executive Recycling, even for small businesses there cannot be any answer but no.
It has been hard saying no certain suppliers and processors but, as we have made it a point to track our own portion of the e-waste stream. At Technocycle we have seen this problem growing and a year ago we made it a priority to stop being a part of the problem and start making the change. At Technocycle, we are part of the global solution. We gave ourselves a strict environmental mandate and are operating within the stringent demands of the e-Stewards program. Our acceptance is still pending a final audit by a BAN approved agency.
One Response to “60 Minutes Exposes the Meaning of Unethical E-waste”
[...] Despite the Chinese national government creating laws banning the import of hazardous e-waste, many local governments are happy to take American e-waste from unethical “recyclers” here and ship it China to break it down using some hazardous methods. This practice endangers the [...]