Comments on: Following The Trail Of Toxic E-Waste

60 Minutes Follows America's Toxic Electronic Waste As It Is Illegally Shipped To Become China's Dirty Secret

[alan_stern]

Funny how Puckett disappears when the topic of how much money BAN will make from e-stewards comes up. Here''s the deal: it costs $1500 for the first three hours of certification, $110 per hour after the first three. But the real money comes into play AFTER certification has been bestowed. At that point, the e-steward company is expected to pay a percetage of annual revenue back to BAN for the use of the logo, and for marketing and promotion purposes. If you''re a big multinational like Dell or Intel, that could amount to some serious, serious money. In other words: BAN has some skin in the game here. Like any other money-making entity, their statements must be examined in light of their own self-interest.

Any comments yet, Puckett?

[aregood3]

Your story forgot to tell us where this stuff was made. Certainly not in the USA. Maybe the country that made it should be required to take it back and recycle it. Oh, maybe China is where most of it is made and we are just returning it.

[goodrumanna]

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I WILL POST THIS AND EVERYONE IS STILL SO CONCERNED WITH CHINA....WHAT ABOUT YOUR OWN COUNTRY BUT I GUESS THE MESS WE MAKE NOW WILL BE CLEANED UP BY MY KIDS ALONG WITH YOURS AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN IS THIS WHAT WE WANT?? I KNOW I DON''T!!!!!
we are so worried about people making a deal and putting money in their pocket. Where it goes is really no ones concern maybe it is hurting the other place and maybe they don''''t care but on the other hand i am a contractor''''s wife and well mexico is hurting our country and i haven''''t heard one thing about that they come over hear under the radar make our money because they work cheaper get all the help as far as wellfare and everything. And working citizens can''''t get no help when we need it. Then after these mexicans get paid under the table and never pay taxes on that money they send it back to mexico and make it richer while we get poor......so why are we so worried about hurting anothers home when they don''''t worry about us lets start doing stories on this and help the working people out and getting out what other countries have taken from us........


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[madision2]

What about these recycle places in the US that are breaking down the same material. If you check the news you will notice that the US Bureau of Prisons operating under UNICOR also breaks down these materials. Currenly one prison, Elkton, OH, has been shut down due to toxic conditions. There are other UNICOR recycle operations that are operating at prisons under substandard conditions.

[rt4life1]

To hoge30: I''m with you, I think Redemtech is the only responsible solution out there for e-waste recycling.
To alan_stern: It costs nothing for a customer to sign the pledge. There are some customers that are financing the certification process, Redemtech being one of them, because BAN is a non-profit organization. If you log onto the Redemtech website, www.redemtech.com, and submit a request they will be able to share with you what you need to do and also send you the document that you need to sign to become an E-Steward.

[maria1837--2008]

What this story lacked was what an average person could do about this?
How could they check out their recyclers? how they could band together
to start a campaign for change? This contributes to the feeling of
helplessness people have when they feel the problem is too big to
solve. I wish you would have approached the story from the solution angle and not merely what is wrong....

[hoge30]

For those looking for a responsible company, I heard Redemtech deos things the right way. We use them and they provide full detailed reports on where everything goes. They are based in Columbus, OH but serve our needs internationally.

[hoge30]

For those looking for a responsible company, I heard Redemtech deos things the right way. We use them and they provide full detailed reports on where everything goes. They are based in Columbus, OH but serve our needs internationally.

[alan_stern]

A few questions for Jim Puckett:

1. How much does it cost for a company to become certified as an e-steward?

2. If a fee is, in fact, involved, is any of it paid to BAN or Earth Economics, directly?

3. What percentage of the e-stewards provide financial support to BAN or Earth Economics independent of whatever fees that they might pay for certification?

4. What percentage of BAN''s and Earth Economics'' budgets, respectively, is provided by donations from e-stewards?

[alan_stern]

A few questions for Jim Puckett:

1. How much does it cost for a company to become certified as an e-steward?

2. If a fee is, in fact, involved, is any of it paid to BAN or Earth Economics, directly?

3. What percentage of the e-stewards provide financial support to BAN or Earth Economics independent of whatever fees that they might pay for certification?

4. What percentage of BAN''s and Earth Economics'' budgets, respectively, is provided by donations from e-stewards?

[nothappyatall]

2) Recycling of plastic is a great idea, expensive and difficult to do. Use less! Demand better options from producers.

Posted by ewaste "

Better yet, DONT HAVE 3 or 4 KIDS per couple and you''d do a hel1 of a lot more for the planet and everything else than recycling 2 pounds of plastic.

EVery new mouth is one more house one more car on the road, another utility and sewer hookup, that much more waste, use, polution, food, water, raw goods needed.
Till there are none ADOPaT don''t breed!!!!!!!

[nothappyatall]

lists most of these same companies as viable environmentally sound destinations for consumers. "
Jim Puckett,Executive Director
Basel Action Network"

Take a flying leap Jimbo, who cares! you "recycling"co''''s are just ripping suckers off- having them do all your sorting, carting to recycling centers and giving you the machines for free, y''''all turn around and RESELL the scrap silver, gold, lead etc at a nice profit on other people''''s work sorting the trash they paid for originally.

I''''d sooner toss the thing in the trash than do the work for YOU to make a profit off.

[doingright]

CBS, That was the most UNFAIR ARTICLE EVER!!! People Please research a little more into the story. THIS IS YELLOW JOURNALISM!!! It was not Excutive Recycling it was a Woman In Vancouver, Canada. I hope this News network will do what''s right to correct this!

Chad
Lakewood, CO

[ecyclerson]

Thanks for that additional info Jim...

So most people understand...I have never met a recycler, collector, processor who wants to pollute!

I have met hundreds! I have been to many of the conferences here in the US, DC, Toronto. They all want to do it right!

Your eStewards list is helpful, now can you help the ones not on your list, to work to become on the list.

You have our attention, you suggest you know what is right, so help us all get funding, design a better model for these operations and lets keep these resources here in the US for our manufacturers to use.

What do we do with the TV''s?
What is in an LCD and how do we recycle it?
where are the toxins in any item?

help!
please!
My employees are looking to me to finish my plans to shift our company from the old way to tomorrows way!

I am looking for investors, partners, guides, anyone who can help us realize these goals!

Sustainable and green, profitable and generous!!
Then I will have honored my Grandfather and Father for their hard work at building our companies.

[ewaste]

We All Live Downstream!
1)Air quality in the Pacific NW is starting to be affected by Chinese industry. Sending our trash there will affect us. 2) Recycling of plastic is a great idea, expensive and difficult to do. Use less! Demand better options from producers. 3) Commodities prices are down because the US messed up the world economy with it''s greed. 4) Try Linux. Upgrade for free 5) Most of the info on Free Geek was wrong. freegeek.org has paid employees, and gives away more computers than it sells.

[ewaste]

We All Live Downstream!
1)Air quality in the Pacific NW is starting to be affected by Chinese industry. Sending our trash there will affect us. 2) Recycling of plastic is a great idea, expensive and difficult to do. Use less! Demand better options from producers. 3) Commodities prices are down because the US messed up the world economy with it''s greed. 4) Try Linux. Upgrade for free 5) Most of the info on Free Geek was wrong. freegeek.org has paid employees, and gives away more computers than it sells.
Peace!

[colombianita-2009]

I finally get to share my personal opinion about the waste generated by those goods our society can''t live with out--including my self; I think that the manufacturers of such goods should own up responsibility! For example: the soda industry should have a recycling process in which all those bottles, cans and what ever else, make it back to their point of assembly.
I think in the long run if these companies face such responsibility enforced by the government, they''ll have to create ways to keep making use of all those materials, not only that but may be even innovation where lots of those toxic elements can be eliminated all together and replaced with friendlier ones...In the same way for the automotive industry, and electronics...
This is, like I said, just a thought from a regular citizen.
I can only hope

[tacomawa1]

So, does the Port of Tacoma have any responsibility in this issue, since they are allowing the transportaion of this e-waste through their port?

The Port of Tacoma operates on it''s own agenda, which has gotten them in "trouble" a number of times.

[lueg-2009]

Your electronic recycling piece on Nov. 9 begs for a follow-up story.

Sensationalizing the problem may help bring sanity into that market place eventually, but in the mean time your viewers are probably more confused than ever about what to do with outdated electronic equipment.

Follow-up could show how GRX, their Denver competitor, does it responsibly and what BAN is doing. But most of all, viewers need to be given information on how to find a truly reputable electronics recycler in their area.

Mereth Meade

[thinkmary]

This was a sad and outrageous segment. BILL GATES, you owe a lot of money to FIX this problem!! As well as Steve Jobs, and all of the other MEGA_MILLIONAIRES from this hideously polluting business. And then, spend more $$$ on trying to GREEN your products. No use thinking the usage will end. The people 40 and younger are INSATIABLE consumers of cheap ***."Bigger/Better/Faster/More That is their mantra.