View Full Version : Old computers.. do you know
where your old electronics are??????????????????????????? Bay steps up onto soapbox now.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7082/08ewastelouisburg024yq7.jpg
One of my green issues. Yesterday I worked at an e-waste collection. In about 4 hours, the volunteers filled up two 40-foot semi trailers with old computers, tvs, monitors, peripherals, printers, etc. amazing. and this is from a rural community. Lord only knows what they get in the city...
This video is kind of simplistic, but shows some graphic photos of what happens with our old computer stuff when it gets to the 3rd world.....
http://www.etoxics.org/site/PageServer?pagename=YouTubeVideo
it's not enough that volunteers have e-waste collections.
I've been harping for two years that you have to check your e-waste vendor you send this stuff to. some do the right thing, but a lot of them don't. a lot of them warehouse the stuff on speculation and then dump it when the price is right, usually overseas.
Finally got a big grant for 6 counties to do collection programs and they get reimbursed by the state for expenses involved in the collections.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5830/08ewastelouisburg010mk3.jpg
reputable e-waste vendors will charge you for all these CRT monitors because they can't really be resold for much. the right thing to do is dismantle them and send the toxics inside them to an hazardous waste incinerator and the glass to a glass handler and the plastics to a plastics recycler. But it's a lot easier to just collect a warehouse full, fill up some cargo containers, and send them to china or pakistan where people will pick them apart for whatever they can glean from them.
And even better thing is for computer manufacturers to build machines with less toxic products
I actually heard one a$$hole say at the conference I went to last week that it's not entirely a bad thing to send ewaste to the 3rd world cause it gives these people jobs they wouldn't have otherwise. I had to bite my tongue bloody because he holds the purse strings on a $300,000 grant for me.
The Irishman next to me who has one of the best nonprofit e-waste recycling centers I've seen almost came up out of his chair over that remark.
I used the collection day as an opportunity to do some general educating.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/4767/08ewastelouisburg007bi2.jpg
Here's a volunteer taking a survey of what each car/truck load had in it for computer waste and she handed them bags I made up. The bags were car litter bags made of recycled plastic. In them were shoelaces made from plastic pop bottles, a brochure about recycling printed on recycled paper, and a key-ring/poptop opener made of recycled computer plastic.
I hope it helps people understand that 90 percent of the stuff we throw away could be reused!
Bay steps down from soapbox....
wow, just got the stats from Saturday.
20 TONS of old electronics that won't be going to the third world, yeah!!!!!!
they filled 3 1/2 semi trailers! wow!
Segep
04-07-2008, 09:17 PM
I actually heard one a$ say at the conference I went to last week that it's not entirely a bad thing to send ewaste to the 3rd world cause it gives these people jobs they wouldn't have otherwise. I had to bite my tongue bloody because he holds the purse strings on a $300,000 grant for me.
LOL Don't you hate that? Thanks for the info. I've got several old CRT's and junk around the house here. The trouble is, most people are too busy worried about how they're going to pay the bills with their next paycheck (or IF they're going to get their next paycheck) to put much effort into researching recycling companies. When you've only got a few minutes to take care of some chores before the kids need picked up from ball practice it's less of a headache to just dump it off at a recycling center and forget about it.
all you have to ask is
"are you a member of BAN (Basal Action Network). If the recycler is, they are going to do things the right way.
Segep
04-08-2008, 05:17 AM
all you have to ask is
"are you a member of BAN (Basal Action Network). If the recycler is, they are going to do things the right way.
That's great, but what do you do if you
-live in the city and depend on the city to collect your recycling items
-live in a rural area and have limited locations you can take your recyclables
which pretty much describes most of America, who probably consume the most electronic doodads. Also, how am I even going to remember to ask about that organization when I go to recycle? (Basal? What is that, anyway?)
The average American is juggling at least 3 or more crises at any one time, and I only have room for one Environmental Crisis at a time, which is currently occupied by how much carbon I'm adding to the atmosphere when I drive to work every day. Why should I add what happens to my disposed electronics to my ever-growing list of things that are degrading my environment?
Not trying to be a jerk, just wondering what kinds of arguments or compelling reasons would be effective against that mindset (which I admit I hold myself usually).
----------
Well the green man he don't understand
Everywhere you go people all around are sinkin' low
Sinkin' low
We all need to raise a little hell
Before we get to Heaven
--Life, Sex and Death
OK bay, I can't view the video here, I'm in work. So why is it a bad idea to send this stuff to third world countries for the less afluent to cannibalise? Is it due to emissions or pollution or what?
Not being knowledgeable, I'd maybe have thought that was a fairly good way to dispose of it rather than just destroying it. These people are recycling it by reusing it, way are they not? And they cannot afford to buy technology, so it's doing some good.
Awaits cyberbrick.
:mad:Here's why we should care Viv.
A huge pile of circuit boards in china... these are flooded with acid out in the open to get to the small amounts of precious metals in them, copper, gold,
the acid just runs down the hill to the river...It's an extremely toxic, unhealthy and unconscionable thing to do.
http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/images/large/dump_sampling_pic.jpg
Women picking through wires torn out of computers. The wires are sorted by day and burned by night in this village. The families live right in the burnyards. Cancer causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins will result from burning wires made from PVC and brominated flame retardants. Guiyu, China. December 2001
http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/images/large/wireburningvillagesorting_pic.jpg
Open burning of plastic encased metal printer and motor parts. Open burning of plastics and other material is common in order to reduce the waste to metals. Guiyu, China. December 2001. © Basel Action Network The sad thing is that the plastic is the easiest thing to recycle! There is a huge market now for plastic. It doesn't need to be burned.
http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/images/large/burning_long_pic.jpg
and piles of e-scrap are such a great place for kids to grow up
:(
http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/images/large/childon_garbage_pic.jpg
Man sweeping toner out of printer cartridge. Toners are made of carbon black -- a class 2A probable carcinogen (IARC). The toner billows in his face all day long without respiratory protection of any kind. Cartridges are later dumped by the river. Guiyu, China. December 2001
http://www.ban.org/photogallery/china_guiyu/images/large/tonerrecovery_pic.jpg
china finally has moved to ban this, but there's huge cleanups to be done. and the problem has just moved to pakistan, africa and south america...:mad:
so yea, it's our problem. If an unjust war in Iraq is a global problem, certainly unhealthy exploitation of land and humans in third world countries is also a global problem..
More. In 1989, a convention was held in Switzerland to address this issue. It's been known for a long time this was happening. They came up with a treaty to address the issue of dumping e-waste in third world countries.
Of course there always have to be the big guys who don't want to participate in such treaties...
The following institutions and countries (in alphabetical order) are actively working to undermine the Basel Convention's Ban Decision and Amendment designed to end the dumping of hazardous wastes from rich to poorer nations. For more information see Basel Ban Page.
Australia
Canada
International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM)
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
New Zealand
Sustainable Development Network
United Nations Center for Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United States
you can learn more here:
http://www.ban.org/index.html
Segep
04-09-2008, 04:03 PM
Damn, Bay, nice job. Very thorough. Thank you. :)
[QUOTE=bay;5812]More. In 1989, a convention was held in Switzerland to address this issue. It's been known for a long time this was happening. They came up with a treaty to address the issue of dumping e-waste in third world countries.
Of course there always have to be the big guys who don't want to participate in such treaties...
The following institutions and countries (in alphabetical order) are actively working to undermine the Basel Convention's Ban Decision and Amendment designed to end the dumping of hazardous wastes from rich to poorer nations. For more information see Basel Ban Page.
Australia
Canada
International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM)
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
New Zealand
Sustainable Development Network
United Nations Center for Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United States
you can learn more here:
Why are those countries working against the treaty?
The US has a kind of bad reputation due to Kyoto and the last treaty, which they only appeared to sign after being subjected to international pressures. But Australia and New Zealand, are they not usually pretty keen to do the right thing environmentally?
And why does the US have such an againster attitude to conservation?
An Céachta Dearg
04-09-2008, 07:39 PM
[QUOTE=bay;5812]More. In 1989, a convention was held in Switzerland to address this issue. It's been known for a long time this was happening. They came up with a treaty to address the issue of dumping e-waste in third world countries.
Of course there always have to be the big guys who don't want to participate in such treaties...
The following institutions and countries (in alphabetical order) are actively working to undermine the Basel Convention's Ban Decision and Amendment designed to end the dumping of hazardous wastes from rich to poorer nations. For more information see Basel Ban Page.
Australia
Canada
International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM)
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
New Zealand
Sustainable Development Network
United Nations Center for Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United States
you can learn more here:
Why are those countries working against the treaty?
The US has a kind of bad reputation due to Kyoto and the last treaty, which they only appeared to sign after being subjected to international pressures. But Australia and New Zealand, are they not usually pretty keen to do the right thing environmentally?
And why does the US have such an againster attitude to conservation?
Because its ruled by Corporations and if you have to make conservation effortsit gets in the way of their money trail.
Look up Shells record or CoCa-Colas record in that respect
[quote=Viv;5932]
Because its ruled by Corporations and if you have to make conservation effortsit gets in the way of their money trail.
Look up Shells record or CoCa-Colas record in that respect
Would rather you summarise here for the forum, if you know those details...
And why does the US have such an againster attitude to conservation?
to quote John Reed: PROFITS
it's so short sighted however, because every time this country has enacted strict environmental regulations, it has not hurt iindustry one little bit. The regulated industry has become stronger and dozens of new industries have sprung up to support the regulated one.
If some one had told me when i was a kid I'd grow up to be a recycling consultant I'd have said, WTF???? There wasn't such a thing then.
The US electronics companies have no doubt lobbied hard against these treaties on the grounds that they will stifle industry. Yet, the e-waste recycling industry is growing like crazy and now there are recyclers battling it out over who is the most eco and social conscious!
Maybe when Pres. Obama takes office, the mindset will change!
to quote John Reed: PROFITS
it's so short sighted however, because every time this country has enacted strict environmental regulations, it has not hurt iindustry one little bit. The regulated industry has become stronger and dozens of new industries have sprung up to support the regulated one.
If some one had told me when i was a kid I'd grow up to be a recycling consultant I'd have said, WTF???? There wasn't such a thing then.
The US electronics companies have no doubt lobbied hard against these treaties on the grounds that they will stifle industry. Yet, the e-waste recycling industry is growing like crazy and now there are recyclers battling it out over who is the most eco and social conscious!
Maybe when Pres. Obama takes office, the mindset will change!
Do you know Obama's stated policy on this issue?
Segep
04-10-2008, 04:30 AM
Do you know Obama's stated policy on this issue?
Whatever it is, I will believe it when I see it. I intend to vote for the man, and I hope that for all our sakes that he wins, but he's still a politician. I learned my lesson about trusting my chosen candidate with Clinton I.
It's not an issue Obama has taken a stand on. He'll need educating. I hope he'll surround himself with good advisors.
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