Archive for July, 2009
E-Waste: The Dirty Secret of Recycling Electronics
July 25th, 2009 | 
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In Depth October 15, 2008, 7:39PM EST text size: TT
Lax rules and weak enforcement allow scrap companies to profit by sending junked computers, printers, and TVs overseas
Business is booming at Supreme Asset Management & Recovery, one of the nation’s largest recyclers of electronic waste. Inside a cavernous warehouse in the industrial section of Lakewood, N.J., workers in T-shirts grapple with newly arrived truckloads of old computer monitors, keyboards, printers, and TVs: tons of e-waste that contains dangerous lead, mercury, and cadmium. Such major manufacturers as Panasonic and JVC and municipalities like Baltimore County, Md., and Westchester County, N.Y., have paid Supreme to dispose of their digital detritus, relying on the company’s assurances that the work is done safely.
But as the e-waste industry proliferates—some 1,200 mostly tiny companies generated revenue of more than $3 billion last year—it has also become enmeshed in questionable practices that undercut its environmentally friendly image. Next year the volume of e-waste will probably surge. In February, U.S. consumers must switch from analog to digital television service, a move that is expected to result in the mass junking of analog TVs.
“No Accountability”
Seven former Supreme employees told BusinessWeek in interviews that they knew about the company selling large monitor shipments overseas. Despite the sales offerings on the Internet and the accounts of its former employees, Supreme says flatly that it “is not an exporter” of e-waste. The phrasing of its statement leaves open the possibility that others export the materials. But Supreme adds that to its knowledge, all of its buyers behave lawfully.
(page 2 of 2)
Varkonyi, 63, describes himself as a middleman for recyclers who, he says, want to tell their corporate and municipal clients that they don’t export PCs or other potentially hazardous gear: “I buy stuff from other recyclers who then claim that they do not export anything.” Varkonyi won’t name his customers.
Business is booming at Supreme Asset Management & Recovery, one of the nation’s largest recyclers of electronic waste. Inside a cavernous warehouse in the industrial section of Lakewood, N.J., workers in T-shirts grapple with newly arrived truckloads of old computer monitors, keyboards, printers, and TVs: tons of e-waste that contains dangerous lead, mercury, and cadmium. Such major manufacturers as Panasonic and JVC and municipalities like Baltimore County, Md., and Westchester County, N.Y., have paid Supreme to dispose of their digital detritus, relying on the company’s assurances that the work is done safely.
But as the e-waste industry proliferates—some 1,200 mostly tiny companies generated revenue of more than $3 billion last year—it has also become enmeshed in questionable practices that undercut its environmentally friendly image. Next year the volume of e-waste will probably surge. In February, U.S. consumers must switch from analog to digital television service, a move that is expected to result in the mass junking of analog TVs.
For the full article, follow the link below.
Link:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_43/b4105000160974.htm
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Electronics Reuse and Recycling
| Contact: Lucy Doroshko 517-373-1322 |
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Computers, cell phones, printers and other peripherals are part of the business and educational landscape of our society. We rely on them daily to communicate, educate and conduct business. What happens to these tools when we replace them with newer, faster models? Donating is becoming a common practice for extending the life of working electronics but eventually they will no longer be valuable as products. What do we do with these obsolete electronics as well as our broken televisions, radios, and stereos? DELETE THE DATA: Before donating or recycling your old computer or other electronic device, make sure that the data in it is completely deleted. Reformatting the hard drive or deleting files may not be enough. You need to completely destroy the data on your hard drive. The U.S. EPA has two fact sheets developed in 2006 that provide information about donating and a list of free software you can use to delete information from your computer. See “Do the PC Thing …” under “How to Donate” at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/pcthing.htm IS IT HAZARDOUS? Many electronics contain hazardous materials such as lead in solder, cadmium in circuit boards and mercury in batteries. Most older computer display screens and televisions contain cathode ray tubes (CRT’s). CRT’s contain leaded glass to protect the user from the x-rays inside the tubes. Lead is a hazardous material that can cause environmental and health damage if not managed safely. Lead in CRT’s cause computers to be considered hazardous waste when disposed by regulated generators in Michigan. Residents are exempt from hazardous waste regulations. Regulated or not, Michigan residents are concerned that their old computer will end up in their local landfill or municipal solid waste incinerator with the potential of leaching or emitting lead and other heavy metals into the water or air. This has caused many communities in Michigan and around the country to hold electronic waste collection events where materials are gathered for shipment to recyclers who dismantle, sort and recycle the various glass, plastic and metal components. There is still much we do not know about what is actually hazardous in all of our electronic tools and toys. Click “back” to find information to help you manage your used electronics, whether you are a business generating regulated hazardous waste or a resident with a used computer or cell phone. Link: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3585_4130_18096-43363–,00.html |
GEEP wins National Master Standing Offer
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Of interest to journalists and editors covering: Computer Recycling, Data Security & Software.
GEEP wins National Master Standing Offer with Government of Canada
DALLAS, January 5th, 2009 – Public Works and Government Services Canada recently awarded GEEP Texas LLC and GEEP Ecosys Inc., subsidiaries of GEEP International, a three year National Master Standing Offer (# E60QE-08BIO4/003/QE) for the companies’ proprietary data sanitizing software, EBAN (Enterprise Boot and Nuke). The contract will allow Canadian government agencies and departments to quickly and easily access the software to sanitize multiple electronic data storage devices simultaneously.
“The core of EBAN has been used by government entities around the world for many years,” said Rick Lewis, Managing Director, GEEP Texas LLC. “This NMSO solidifies the importance of having a license supported enterprise disk clearing utility, such as EBAN.” EBAN meets the criteria listed in Canada’s Hard-Drive Overwrite Software Solution, which includes a triple-pass erase of the following data storage devices: Advance Technology Attachment; Integrated Drive Electronics; Serial Advanced Technology Attachment hard disk drives, floppy disks and miniature electronic storage devices, including USB memory and flash memory devices. Developed by Darik Horn, the creator of the highly popular and effective DBAN data destruction software, EBAN can destroy data on hundreds of hard drives concurrently by sending the destructive kernel from the data destruction appliance through each computer’s LAN connection.
EBAN then produces detailed reporting including the devices’ make, model and serial number and date of sanitization.
“EBAN data erasure software will provide the Government of Canada with peace of mind,” said Bruce Hartley, Vice President, Business Development, GEEP Ecosys Inc.
About EBAN
EBAN is a Department of Defense compliant mass hard drive overwriting utility designed for government entities, educational institutions and corporations with large-scale electronic data destruction needs. Using the LAN port of the target computers, EBAN can simultaneously overwrite hard drives, automatically confirm the sanitization against the hard drive serial number, and then tie the sanitization confirmation to a complete hardware manifest pulled from the target computer’s bios. This creates a complete record of data destruction to help client companies with legal compliance issues such as GLBA, SOX and HIPAA.
About GEEP (Global Electric Electronic Processing)
GEEP (www.geepglobal.com) is a nationally recognized provider of end-of-life (EOL) IT services for OEMs, corporations, government entities, universities, and channel partners. GEEP provides a full range of EOL services that include reverse logistics, computer remarketing, computer recycling, and electronic data destruction solutions. GEEP’s electronics recycling processes are state of the art and take place in ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified facilities. For additional information, contact Cassie King toll free 888-832-4929 ext. 203.
Cassie King, Account Executive
GEEP Texas, LLC
P 888-832-4929 ext. 203
GEEP Opens NanoFuel Program
GEEP Opens NanoFuel Program
Global Electric Electronic Processing announced the opening of NanoFuel Solutions. The NanoFuel process will assist GEEP in achieving its zero landfill objective. Through the NanoFuel process, all non-usable commingled plastics derived from processing electronic waste can be turned into diesel fuel.
GEEP is establishing joint ventures to create a global network, all with similar technologies, all connected to GEEP’s headquarters in Barrie, Ontario.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Michigan Waste Reduction Efforts
Recycling is a major component of Michigan waste reduction efforts. It is often the first step businesses take toward a more efficient and cleaner operation. It is also a popular, positive way individuals can protect their environment and reduce the impact of climate change.
A few of the many environmental and economic benefits of recycling are:
- Minimizing the need to harvest and mine virgin materials thus preventing habitat and natural area destruction and disruption.
- Creating more jobs than managing waste does, resulting in stronger local economies.
- Diverting waste from landfills, extending their useful lives.
Link: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/1,1607,7-135-3585_4130—,00.html
