e-Stewards® today announced that Sony Electronics has joined as a member of a growing number of e-Stewards Enterprise companies. These corporations and institutions are committed to using the most globally responsible recycling companies that are certified to the e-Stewards standard.
The UK is the worst offender in Europe for illegally exporting toxic electronic waste to developing countries, according to a two-year investigation that tracked shipments from 10 European countries.
The investigation by the environmental watchdog the Basel Action Network (BAN) put GPS trackers on 314 units of computers, LCD monitors and printers placed in recycling facilities in 10 countries. Researchers mapped what they said was the export of 11 items to Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand and Ukraine.
End-of-life electronics received attention at the World Economic Forum meeting this month. A report from several global entities called for a systemic change to stem rising volumes of unrecovered devices.
The Digital Divide continues to impact poor and rural communities where access to affordable high-speed Internet, quality computer equipment, and digital literacy is lacking. Over the past two years, Cascade Asset Management, an e-Stewards certified processor headquartered in Madison, WI, has partnered with DANEnet, a local non-profit engaged in promoting Digital Equity in the community, to address these concerns.
Technology, and the innovation behind it, moves quickly. It appears that every time we turn around there is a new product, a new system, a new must-have that will revolutionize the way we interact with the world around us and the people in it. The rapid pace at which tech moves makes for exciting times indeed, but there is a little known danger from the quick product turnarounds and constant innovation we have come to expect. In a mounting fight against the toxic e-waste stemming from our increasing number of outdated and discarded technologies, we are forced to question the ethical implications of our dependence on the latest and greatest gadgets. As electronics – computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos or copiers – reach the end of their “useful life,” the issue of how to safely and effectively dispose of their parts, some of which can be hazardous, becomes cause for concern. As an issue that often goes unconsidered, the solution to e-waste is one that depends on education, conversation, and information proliferation.
For over two decades, many developed countries have sent massive amounts of plastic wastes to China for recycling.
But that option is drying up following a Chinese ban on rubbish imports this year, forcing countries, particularly developed nations, to seriously rethink how to process their unwanted materials – a question that have been dodged for many years.
Federal regulators are considering a proposal to ban exports of unprocessed e-scrap and require stringent tracking procedures for exports that are still allowed.
As Robert Reed examines a mountain of trash piled three storeys high, a thin white plastic bag catches his eye. He fishes it out and holds it up. “That is a problem plastic,” he says gravely. “These get stuck in the machines, and there is no market for them.” He gives it a little wave and lets it float back down on to the heap.