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

[skipperlange]

If National Geographic did this exact story a year ago why is it still going on? If that''s naive, so be it. Those in a position to do something should be swooping in and doing something -- namely stopping this. Why can''t they make computers and other electronics without heavy metals and other toxins? Is it possible? If so it should be required. Today.

[gromek2]

From the response of this manager I can guess what political party he belongs to. The truth isn''t what comes out of your mouth.

[txgrouch2007]

real recyclers like Total Reclaim and Sims.
Posted by Drixson1 at 02:04 PM : Nov 10, 2008

About a year ago, National Geographic magazine did this EXACT SAME PIECE (except their photographers didn''t get beat up, and the photo quality was STUNNING as usual).

They did show a recycling facility in the USA. The first difference you noticed was that the USA facility is INDOORS...

[dsorby]

Today in most large companies there is "Designed Obsolesence" staff. People who''s job it is to make sure that your junk croaks and is thrown away before the new sales model comes out. It is a great way to forecast new product sales. WE demand that things be more affordable and cheap. We easily disgard and replace. Hasn''t the majority of the world seen Wall-E? Disney Pixar did a great job showing us what the consequences are of the "Buy-N-Large" and the MegaloMart... But do we address the real problem? It is large corporations that want a big buck for their assets. They do not ask where the material will end up. They care about their bottom lines today and auction the obsolete junk off to the highest bidder. These are the people that should be held accountable. What would happen if the EPA went after the names on the asset tags in those piles of rubbish? What do you think they would discover? And who are the biggest names you think they will find? Big names, who got paid big bucks, who didn''t ask questions because they are not held accountable. They should be!

[mygreenelect]

The consumer electronics industry shares the Basel Action Network''s concern about the improper recycling of consumer electronics products overseas. It is unfortunate to see a small number of bad actors distract from the good work being undertaken by BAN, CEA and others in industry who provide helpful recycling tools to consumers. When done responsibly, electronics recycling not only diverts unused products from landfills, but also allows manufacturers to recover valuable materials that can be reused in new products. Last night%u2019s 60 Minutes piece sheds light on the practices of a few unscrupulous companies that diminish the important practice of electronics recycling and weaken the economic opportunities offered by the reuse and recycling of electronics.

There are significant environmental and economic benefits to the legitimate and reliable recycling of electronics. To encourage recycling, manufacturers and consumers alike must have confidence that recycling of unused electronics is done in a safe and responsible manner. Unfortunately, the current patchwork of state laws regarding electronics recycling only contributes to the confusion and lack of oversight and enforcement that allow unscrupulous recyclers to operate. Electronic waste is a national problem that demands a federal solution.

Parker Brugge
VP, Environmental Affairs
Consumer Electronics Association

[drixson1]

Thanks for the piece! Please follow up with a story about the small businesses out there that are collecting and actually recycling in North America with real recyclers like Total Reclaim and Sims. Would love a mention about the Basel Treaty in 1992.... The USA, Afganistan, and Haiti were the only countries not to agree to the banning the exporting of hazardous waste.. Perhaps the new administration will revisit this position.

[skipperlange]

Your story was awesome. I am speechless. I am outraged. What can we do? Why is this allowed to continue? We should all be outraged and demanding immediate action. If anything can be a catalyst for action it''s a 60 Minutes show. I hope it lights a fire under the butts of those in a position to stop this. And now. What a stark behind-the-scenes picture you have shown us of our 21st century world -- America''s wealth and throw-away lifestyle creating enormous toxic junkyards and poisoning residents and the environment in a village in China. This price we pay (they pay) for our demand for new, new, new computers and cell phones is way way way too high. Electronics manufacturers, recyclers, consumers, lawmakers and law enforcers must all take immediate responsibly for this. Let''s hope next Sunday you report that the dumps in China are being cleaned out and that the people are getting immediate and continuing health care... and those responsible must cover those costs.

[baselaction]

Dear Readers:

A blogger known as exposed1st has complained that the program has overlooked an e-Steward recycler in the Denver area and has listed some shipments that he claims were exported to Hong Kong in violation of the BAN Pledge.

BAN takes matters of non-compliance with our Pledging e-Stewards very seriously. So we investigated these allegations and in fact notified the competent authorities in Hong Kong of these containers. As we thought they were opened and NO contraband hazardous electronics was found. These containers'' Bills of Lading have been examined and they have been seen to be accurately describing that the waste exported was NON-Hazardous (by Basel Convention definitions) hazardous waste. This was confirmed by customs in Hong Kong.

What Executive does not seem to understand is that BAN''s program, and international law forbids exports of HAZARDOUS waste, not NON-hazardous waste. We have been aware that GRX exports their plastics to China. This is completely legal and does not violate the current BAN e-Stewards Pledge.

We would hope that Executive would therefore cease in these false accusations. We stand ready to show Executive or others the proof of this verification.

Sincerely yours,
Jim Puckett, Director, Basel Action Network.

[bigdaddyhuah]

So what are we to do with our electronic waste? We are all told that it''s a bad thing to put it in the garbage where it will ultimately get buried in a landfill. In a landfill, however, the toxic heavy metals more or less stay put. Isn''t that a better solution than supposedly doing the right thing but in reality be giving it to lowest bidders who facilitate the ecological disaster you document?

I really expected the Denver businessman in your story, Brandon Richter, to use the "I''m shocked! The companies we sell to tell us they are reputable and responsible. It is not my fault that I''m dealing with some bad apples, but I''ll definitely look into this" defense, not the "Deny! Deny! Deny! Even when confronted with the proof continue to Deny! actually accusing the accuser!" defense! The man stood there and lied to your face. He knew full well that he was selling to lawbreakers and had full knowledge where the stuff was going! I can only image how Mike Wallace would have handled the story and really clobbered him!

[bigdaddyhuah]

This story reminds me of the concern over styrofoam 20 years ago. Environmentalists were concerned that styrofoam in landfills stays inert for centuries. We all know that our fast food is no longer sold in styrofoam (plastic) boxes largely due to environmentalist concerns. It is now all wrapped in paper and cardboard.

The irony is that styrofoam staying inert in a landfill basically just takes up space, whereas when paper is either recycled or when it breaks down in a landfill the dyes and contaminants in the paper don''t stay put, and can ultimately be a much greater environmental risk, especially if they leach out, concentrate and contaminate water resources.

[zervyn-2009]

The story they were trying to tell, whether one sided or not, is that you need to look deeper into everything. Just because a company or anyone says they are going to do something a certain way doesnt mean its going to happen that way. Im kinda upset that people are able to transport this stuff overseas when its illegal, and what its doing to the people and the enviroment. Just because the wastes over there, doesnt mean it cant affect us here. Its another example of a country having a law but not having the intelligence to make sure its enforced!!!!

[baselaction]

Dear Readers:

Jim Puckett here from the Basel Action Network. There is in fact a responsible and practical destination for your old electronic equipment. 60 minutes posted this on their website but many are missing the solution. BAN has worked with leaders in the industry to create a list of truly responsible recyclers that will not export hazardous electronic waste. This group is known as the e-Stewards and are located at www.e-Stewards.org.

WE URGE EVERYONE TO TELL THEIR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES ABOUT DOING THE RIGHT THING and SENDING TO E-STEWARDS ONLY. Other companies claim great environmental responsibility but beware such claims.

Visit www.e-Stewards.org

Sincerely yours, Jim Puckett

[carolemac-2009]

Your exposure of toxic recycling of our electronic gagets was eye opening.] However, you did not complete your project.
To continue, what is a safe way to dispose of our gagets?
Do we need to change the manufacturing components, or is there really a recycle program that works?
Your job would be better served to offer a solution to problems, not just point fingers about what we are
doing wrong.

[barbaram99]

I am wondering this..If they are buying new computers and the older ones works then why not give it to a person who could use it who other wises would not a have a working pc. Vince asked me that at table. I don''t have an answer for him. I THINK IT IS SAD. I WORKED YEARS AGO AT A BLIND CENTER AND GOT LESS THAN THE MAN WHO GITS 8 DALLORS A DAY. my last paycheck for 2 full weeks was 11 dallors here in America.and that was in 83.I am an American. My parents don''t have a computer. i don''t even own a notebook pc. I love to have one that works for me. I am not rich. i AM FOR REUSING THINGS. My God can''t they get them to people could use computers. Greed is the reason they won''t.

[paoluccm]

I hope you will do a follow up on last night%u2019s 60 minutes re: US electrical waste shipped to China instead of recycled in US. The thought of the Chinese having no other job opportunity than to work with toxic electrical wastes and the poor pheasants and children being exposed to these wastes makes me sick. The thought of some idiotic American/Chinese thinks this is a viable and profitable business venture makes me even sicker. The medical costs (if the workers and residents even get medical care) and environmental clean up costs will be much greater than any profit that could ever be realized. Why do these poor people have to be taken advantage of? This is OUR AMERICAN garbage. Why can''t electronics be made without toxic materials and be made to last so that we don''t need to replace our electronics so frequently and create so much toxic garbage?

[dsorby]

The investigation blames the recyclers who do the wrong thing. It does not say anything about who OWNS the material and who is really responsible. Large Corporations, those that have our confidential information, financial, healthcare, Government, etc. they all have a responsibility and should be held to DOWNSTREAM ACCOUNTABILITY. What many of them do is put products on pallets and sell them to the highest bidder. This is the end result. Let''s further the investigation and take a look at the asset tags in those piles. Let''s go back to the company who sold the material because they cared more about immediate bottom line gratification than he did about our confidential information, children and the future of the planet. This investigation blames "Monkey in the Middle" Why don''t we look at the CEO, CIO''s, IT Directors and Faciclities Managers who cared about the highest dollar and didn''t even ask the questions about what would happen to the material? Why is identity theft the #1 crime? You reap what you sow.

[clarystyle]

I used to work for a recycle company that is doing the same thing, claiming that they are doing something good for the environment, what the customers don%u2019t know is that they are dumping e-waste in China, India, Honk Kong even South Korea. They are using a more %u201Cconvenient%u201D export code for Customs that won%u2019t get any red flag when is exported. Part of the blame is on Customs.

[colt8881]

Brandon Richter, the CEO of Executive Recycling.

YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR FALSE STATEMENT OFF YOUR TRUCKS AND THAT EVER ELSE YOU HAVE IT ON. Also were thoes Immigrants working in the truck Legal and had Green Cards ? Brandon if your breaking one law how many more are you in violation of breaking

Brandon REMOVE YOUR False STATEMENT from your Company

"Your e-waste is recycled properly, right here in the U.S. - not simply dumped on somebody else."


LIES, LIES, LIES !

[colt8881]

I saw this story on 60 Minutes last night. The area that was filmed where the TV Crews almost got their camaras taken away will be toxic for hundreds of years.

At the end of the story the reporter asked Brandon Richter, the CEO of Executive Recycling about the container full of CRTs. Brandon Richter sure played it off like a pro acting like he did not know where the container was shipped too. Executive Recycling is playing dirty pool just like everybody else and making huge profits from dumping waste and Brandon Richter and his company needs to be watched and investagated because Brandon did not lie very well. He KNEW exactly where that Containter was shiped !

YOUR PATHETIC BRANDON RICHTER and your company is a sham and a Huge Fine is in order.

[retroworks]

The story was 95% accurate, but one-sided. The one critical error was referring to the "tidy" little shop that the mayor of Guiyu led them to, and assuming (because it was ''relatively'' clean) that it represented the best. Organizations like WR3A have located dozens of end markets overseas which are far more sophisticated than anything in the USA. They tend not to want mixed ***, and if you send them junk CRTs for example, they will charge you dearly. But they are ISO certified and you could eat off the floor. Unfortunately, many viewers will assume that the solution is to ban exports altogether, and "the perfect becomes the enemy of the good". I hope there will be follow up.