Archive for the ‘Poor Recycling’ Category
Urgent Need to Prepare Developing Countries for Surge in E-Wastes
April 13th, 2010 | 
Author: Rocketing sales of cell phones, gadgets, appliances in China, India, elsewhere forecast
Proper e-waste collection, recycling key to recovering valuable materials, protecting health, building new green economy
Bali, 22 February 2010 – Sales of electronic products in countries like China and India and across continents such as Africa and Latin America are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years.
And, unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health, according to UN experts in a landmark report released today by UNEP.
Issued at a meeting of Basel Convention and other world chemical authorities prior to UNEP’s Governing Council meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the report, “Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources,” used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation – which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.
Full Article: http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=612&ArticleID=6471
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The Myth of No Charge Computer Recycling Matures into a SCAM
Since we began our business in 2003, we have contended with other companies that accept unwanted electronics for disposal. Far from being the legitimate competition that all businesses face, these pretenders always had the playing field tilted in their favor. Now, this deceit has matured into a full fledged scam, manifesting itself in Western Pennsylvania.
As has been projected here for the last two months, a scam has been operating, promising fundraiser profits while recycling electronics at no charge. On May 25, the BASEL ACTION NETWORK (BAN; www.ban.org) exposed a new e scrap collector in the area as a scam artist who has allegedly been hiding his greed behind promises of ‘helping’ the disadvantaged, both animal and human.. For the text of this exposure, click on the link at the end of this editorial.
When we first started our business, beleaguered companies, educational entities and government agencies just wanted the e scrap disposed of. “Get it out of my warehouse, basement, storerooms.. ….”
Full Article: http://www.agreenspan.org/mainsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=49
E-waste trade ban won’t end environmental threat
A proposal under debate in the U.S. Congress to ban the export of electronics waste would likely make a growing global environmental problem even worse, say authors of an article from the journal Environmental Science and Technology appearing online today. The authors call into question conventional thinking that trade bans can prevent “backyard recycling” of electronics waste – primarily old and obsolete computers – in developing countries.
Primitive recycling processes used in these countries are dispersing materials and pollutants that are contaminating air, water and soil.
“Trade bans will become increasingly irrelevant in solving the problem,” says Eric Williams, one of the authors of the article, which offers alternative ways to address the problem.
Full Article: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/03/22/e.waste.trade.ban.wont.end.environmental.threat
UN warns of e-waste spike in developing nations
Over the next decade, rapidly growing sales of consumer electronics in developing countries, such as China and India, will lead to “the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health,” according to a report released this week by The United Nations Environment Programme. The 120-page report, Recycling — From E-Waste To Resources, was compiled using data from 11 developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
The report finds that, in the coming decade, the volumes of e-waste created by, and sent to, developing countries is going to rise sharply, finding that, by 2020, “e-waste from old computers” will rise by 500 percent in India, while a 200-percent to-400 percent hike is expected in South Africa and China.
Full PDF:
http://www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/E-Waste_publication_screen_FINALVERSION-sml.pdf
