Destination of 'recycled' electronics may surprise you

[Gunny]

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Most Americans think they're helping the earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas.

While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.

"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environmental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."

more ... http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/18/electronics.trash.ap/index.html

This is good.

 

[doniston]

This is good.

Yup, I was very suprised to learn this(from a different source) It seems that it costs ten times as much to recycle the components, as to ship them overseas. But it is even more surprising that you think this is a good solution.


WHY????

 

[jillian]

Yup, I was very suprised to learn this(from a different source) It seems that it costs ten times as much to recycle the components, as to ship them overseas. But it is even more surprising that you think this is a good solution.


WHY????

Look at the little emoticon. He was being facetious.

 

[Gunny]

Yup, I was very suprised to learn this(from a different source) It seems that it costs ten times as much to recycle the components, as to ship them overseas. But it is even more surprising that you think this is a good solution.


WHY????

What she said ....

 

[RetiredGySgt]

What she said ....

Don't bother trying to explain it to Doniston, he is just a tad short of a full deck to begin with.

 

[Shogun]

You know, i've pondered the whole recycling of cpu parts quite a bit and it sucks that it seems to be neither cost effective or beneficial to anyone to do so. I'm sure you all know how it is... next thing you know you've got 5x 15 inch crt's, a row of empty tower cases, video sound and ethernet cards...


I guess i've wondered why the push to produce 200 dollar laptops for third world countries when there is no tech support in the frickin bush. Is my old amd k6 233 not good enough, dammit?

 

[Gunny]

You know, i've pondered the whole recycling of cpu parts quite a bit and it sucks that it seems to be neither cost effective or beneficial to anyone to do so. I'm sure you all know how it is... next thing you know you've got 5x 15 inch crt's, a row of empty tower cases, video sound and ethernet cards...


I guess i've wondered why the push to produce 200 dollar laptops for third world countries when there is no tech support in the frickin bush. Is my old amd k6 233 not good enough, dammit?

Yeah, it'd be too nice for us if they'd make these things easy for Joe Average to replace parts and not have to buy a new PC. Oh ... wait ... that would ruin the whole corporate greed thing ...