Any self-respecting gadget hound knows that China is responsible for packing millions of shipping containers with the consumer electronics we crave. What you may not know is what we ship in return:
our waste for
recycling. Of growing concern is e-waste, resulting from the deluge of PCs, cellphones, televisions and
crapgadgets we churn through at an accelerating clip each year. While domestic recycling programs are good-intentioned, often the most toxic of our e-waste is shipped illegally back to China and
boiled down for its precious metals under some of the most crude conditions you can imagine. When faced with the choice of familial poverty or the slow accumulation of poison in their bloodstream (for $8 per day), it's not hard to imagine what many rural Chinese people will choose. So while we give Greenpeace's
self-congratulatory promotions and oft-subjective "
Guide to Greener Electronics" company ratings the occasional hard time, their attempts to raise e-waste awareness are commendable. Now go ahead, check the video from
60 Minutes' intrepid reporters after the break and let the guilt wash over you.
Update: As noted by reader Jason, a more thorough (and disturbing) exploration of these e-waste dumps can be found in a
Current TV video shot last year in the same region.
posted November 10th 2008 4:11AM
This is exactly why I hate inefficient software...
"But it runs well on my 2GB RAM/2.4GHz Dual-Core"
Yeah, but your old 256MB/1.7GHz is out there causing all kind of problems, that will some day come back and bite your rear...
My 256/1.7? Running Linux quite happily, even doing some audio editing :-)
Geez...we use these guys here in Denver.
Our company is really pressuring us to be green and we switched to these guys to recycle our endless amounts of broken CRTs. Now I see this and I don't know what to think. I guess the dude was talking out of both sides of his mouth.
How do you find someone who doesn't ship to China? Especially when Executive Recycling says on their website that they DON'T ship it out. Who do you believe?
I love how the guy tries to use the "why are you attacking small business" line, too -- who does he think he is, John McCain?
Sorry that you got bitten by this, - there's a lot of smooth talkers in this business. Watch the CBC documentary to see more companies exposed: http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/environmentscience/ewaste_dumping_ground.html
Avoiding the sharks is not easy. You have to ask them for proof. Ask them who they deal with downstream, get documentation and check it out. Make yourself annoying and see how open they are.
But at the end of the day you can't be visiting the smelters yourself - you have to trust someone's word. And someone who's making money from your e-waste is not necessarily a reliable source. I was assuming that the Basel Action Network would have a list of recyclers that they'd personally vetted - but I'm disappointed that I can't find anything on their website.
The guilt extends to Engadget.com and other websites that promote and push crapgadget on readers for fun---and profit. Clean up ur act first. Your readers will follow.
To all of you acting all surprised and whatnot.
What did you think happened to all those electronics, PCs, Game Consoles etc, once you threw them out? Go sit in your local dump? Love to see people acting all naive when it's been an issue for years, especially since we have no real recycling program to deal with this for "environmental" reasons, of course it would all end up in countries with less annoying "Environmentalists" to muck up the process.
Well most of this garbage was supposed to be recycled, most US companies send their trash for recycling, partially because of public image, mostly because regulations in the USA (and states).
So yea people are quite surprised that this turned into a huge scam, not just few local incidents, but the amount of toxic waste indicates it is a western plague of lies.
It's very nice to have this brought to attention. I've always been pretty much freaked out about my own personal electronics. I almost never replace any of mine unless it can't be used anymore. To that fact, I have lots of computer parts and other things just lying around that I can't use right now, but could be used... And then there's the stuff that needs to be thrown away. Just seeing my own personal pile of junk computer parts often scares the crap out of me thinking about what to do with them when I'm all done.
I hope many more truly good solutions come about in the future beginning now.
You know how China is pushing us to do more than them to combat global warming and environmental contamination? Well this is probably part of the reason why.
I just found Executive Recycling's official response to the 60 Minutes piece.
http://executiverecycle.com/article.php?ID=28
They appear to have taken a page from South Park and blamed Canada!
And this is where we see the Indian on top the hill with a tear....Or this go around it could be Steve Jobs or Bill
You all might also want to check out a documentary called "Manufactured Landscapes." It was the first thing that showed me where all the waste electronics were going. I know some people will argue that they chose to do it so it shouldn't be an issue, but there should be safer, healthier alternatives for them than killing themselves with toxins. It's not right for the children to be subjected to those poisons when they don't have a choice. It's horrible to see them playing in toxic water, probably not even knowoing that it's killing them.
I'm glad to say I've always gave my electronics to someone that could use them. Not because of the environmental impact or the waste recycling (which is now more of a reason not to trash them), but because I can't bring myself to throw out completely functional old electronics.
"Do you like it here?"
- "Whats there to like or dislike? Its a living."
It's the mindset of most of my (our Oriental) immigrant elders.
I live in Singapore and I never thought that our e-waste is being exported to poorer countries.
We people from developed countries need to know that some of our comfort is actually build upon other people's demise.
I'm from a developing nation and somehow i'm nonchalant about this kind of issue, why? because my country just signed a contract with japan to import hospital waste from them, yes we will be importing those syringe, gloves, etc. together with any disease attached to it.
this might look like a big deal with developed nation, but with 3rd world country, this is income, we have mountains of garbage (yes, we dont have incinerators) that is being dig by a lot of kids looking for something useful, or some bottle, metals, papers that can be sold to junk shop, yes its appalling, but the money they get out of it is being used for their everyday meal, or for things they need in school.
whats my point? well, maybe dig deeper, there is more issue here than health and environment.
100 quai a day?! Bloody hell, by Chinese standards that's good money - though it was 5 years ago, not sure what inflation has done to things. I earned that much when I was teaching English in China. Considering you could get a nice meal for four people for 30 quai or so, 100 quai isn't so bad.
It's pretty sobering though, the amount of waste we produce. I'm thinking about an iPhone, but my little Motorola V3i is still choofing along nicely - I'm into my second contract with it. Sure, an iPhone would be nice, but these documentaries are enough to make me think, no. I think I'll hold onto my trusty wee Razr for a bit longer, until it really dies. Three years, still going strong!
Some places to learn more:
Silcon Valley Toxics Coalition(www.etoxics.org)
Learn about the concept of cradle-to-cradle design.
The problem with e-waste is that I don't think anyone has an answer for the problem. No one can effectively collect all this waste, turn it around, and make something useful with it on a mass scale.
More research from industry and academia needs to be focused on it.
Is there some way Engadget can stick this story to the top of their blog for the next few days ever? I love reading about gadgets, but it's so easy to forget that all those non-biodegradeable parts come from and end up somewhere. We're taking all the poison we can find out of the Earth, condensing it, and piling it up. The only way these materials can really be recycled is by techtonic activity. It's so creepy to think about it. I'm having a humans are small moment... I'll take that to another forum.
I second that motion, Gabo - comment voted for. Let's make this a sticky post please, Engadget!
Fantastic idea.
I've never seen an Engadget post that's had the community get behind it as well as this one. There's been barely a single negative post (he says, immediately triggering a deluge).
Electronics manufacturers - take note - you'll need to figure out a way to take your products from cradle-to-grave in a way that doesn't harm the environment...
Right now, as people watch this video, their appetite for electronics is reduced.
Figure out a way to safely recycle and people will buy more of your stuff.
Another part of same story:
http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/video/newsmakers/926e1836e83d0d2b9f5daf99e158dd90f79faea9.html
While you all are busy pointing fingers, why not look at the Basel Action Network's website. Educate yourself on properly dispose our waste electronics. BAN has a nice list of responsible e-recycler. http://www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html Nice to know Executive Recycling didn't make the list. Why don't we all educate each other on properly dispose of unwanted electronics? Could we please vote to add BAN's link somewhere more obvious on this article, or Engadget for that matter?
Thank you. I knew BAN must have a list somewhere on their website. They did a frigging good job of hiding it though - I couldn't find it when I searched before.
I think an email to them is called for suggesting they make it more prominent.
I saw these 60-Minutes videos on BoingBoing earlier today. It was pretty interesting to see how hostile the locals at the Chinese electronic waste dump were to the filming crew. They had to know that actions like that would create a backlash against them in the American media. It is things like this that nullify peoples' claims of China actually being one of the "developed" nations.
Do I feel bad? Heck no! China is the one who should feel bad, and stop the guilt-tripping trip. They are the ones making the stuff, and then importing it back... If they would stop making it so bad, they could stop importing the bad stuff! It is that simple.... Return the crap from where it came.......
Are you for-freaking-real?
China is a communist country. No amount of pleading will change their corporate greed or politicians minds about making things as cheap as possible....
Think about it like this. Who is responsible for producing crap, 1) the manufacture, or 2) the consumer? If they make it, we buy it. Whether it is clean or not, THEY MADE IT! Send the crap back to where it came from, and maybe they will learn! It is China's problem not ours, period!
If you choose #2 above, then YOU are responsible for the coal burring plants making electricity. Maybe we all should send Greenpeace to picket you and your family for leaving the porch light on waiting for me to bring your daughter home....
I feel no guilt whatsoever!
Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA
There is a land mass the size of the continent of Africa (Palin, ..) with no inhabitants. We should just send our e-junk and other kind of junk there. It is called the Moon.
Or send all that junk into the Sun
"Africa (Palin,...)"
LMFAO!!
Was that mayor driving a Nissan Teana?
Why aren't we dumping all our garbage/ewaste into a volcano somewhere? let the fires of hell melt it all away!
Even in a diminished role, we still found a way to fuck up other countries.
America, FUCK YEAH!
What burns me is the attitude of readers when Greenpeace complains about what goes into these products.
Examples of the attitude towards this subject.
Greenpeace slams Apple, Motorola and Lenovo for toxic chemicals
http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/30/greenpeace-slams-apple-motorola-and-lenovo-for-toxic-chemicals/
"Bent Franklin @ Aug 30th 2006 6:07PM
Damn Hippy Tree Huggers can't they understand Corporate America?"
Greenpeace dismantles iPhone, discovers "hazardous chemicals"
http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/15/greenpeace-dismantles-iphone-discovers-hazardous-chemicals/
"BananaBoat @ Oct 15th 2007 3:53PM
All Greenpeace ever does is whine. Who cares what it's made of."
Greenpeace posts latest Guide to Greener Electronics: Sony Ericsson first, Nintendo in dead last
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/greepeace-posts-latest-guide-to-greener-electronics-sony-ericss/
"KR @ Nov 27th 2007 12:26PM
F*ck Greenpeace"
Greenpeace rates Apple, Lenovo higher: Sony drops to least green position
www.engadget.com/2007/07/01/greenpeace-rates-apple-lenovo-higher-sony-drops-to-least-green/
"logyk
logyk @ Jul 1st 2007 7:46AM
Personally i couldn't care less if sony was dropping PS3's on baby seals, just make a HDTV that i can afford and you'll be golden in my books."
I didn't even have too look for these comments they were all the FIRST one in their articles.
The "Poverty or Poison" line seems like a false dichotomy. The people who work these landfills are merely trying to survive the best way they can. Since thuggery is clearly involved (the Mayor and the factory bosses), the workers might not have a choice, which for China, is just another tragedy of the "People's" government .
But after cleaning up these dumps and removing the thugs, you're still going to have health hazards, and in a free market, people should be able to take those risks, as long as they're aware of them and there are no other viable alternatives. If someone can make good money doing something like that, and are willing to risk shaving a few years off of their life so their kids don't have to grow up poor, then let them. Give them the information, and let them choose.
CBS tries to jerk a few tears out of the view by showing the kids in the dump, but if they weren't there, odds are they would be in another miserable circumstance, with little food and clean water. The free market has dramatically improved conditions in China over the last 20 years, but it obviously still has a long way to go.
The environmental cost for the improper disposal of electronics is astronomical. It is unaffordable; people have to dispose of their equipment in an environmentally responsible way. Take this a step further; ask your employer what they are doing to ensure their compliance. Does your company work with an electronic recycler? Go to www.pcrecycer.net to find out more
The best solution? Donate your old gadget to your third-world friend...LIKE ME! :oD
Got a ham radio broken? Old IPOD? Unusable notebook? Send it to me, instead of sending to the chinese! I'll use that and recycle it properly, you'll help a friend and make him happier, and the world a better place :o)
That was a ton of iMac G3s in 4:51 :(.
Seriously though, This is MAD! Can't they spare a few bucks and do it in the US?!
I take in all the computers I can (Skipping the CRTs) and if I have a use for them I will use them, If I don't have a use I just give them to friends and family. This is madness!
It's about time SOMEBODY builds a rocket big enough to send all these toxic crap (greedy corporates/business people) out into space. If sometime in the future we get attack by aliens for dumping into space, atleast they'll appreciate how green our planet is before destroying us.
It truly is a different world over there in China. It's interesting however to see how the locals in Guaying were so very content with their lifestyle, and did not really care about the severe health implications that their work is actually causing them.
http://www.iaer.org/summit/tonetti.ppt.
According to this, there are only 5 copper/precious metal smelters (for copper and precious metal recovery from circuit boards) in the world that are properly equipped to minimize emissions of dioxins and furans. They are in Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and Japan. I am doing some research and trying to find out which US companies are being as responsible as they say and actually ship to those facilities, not to China, India or African countries.
I always try to buy green, from electronic boards with lead free solder, plastic housing in tvs hifi that use little to no chemicals, instructions/packaging that use recycled paper and vegetable oil based ink, the last pc I built for my nephew used a Via motherboard (pc2500) with a via C7 cpu because it was going to be used for surfing the web/youtube, even the pc I'm using now has a Athlon LE-1600 because it only uses 45w compared to 62w(normal) I still have 4 other pcs which are boxed up and collecting dust(they all work) old tvs which I have replaced with LCD not because it looks nice but because they use alot less power same with pc monitors and light bulbs, this sort of thing can be stopped if the world want's it to but everyone has to do there share, waste is waste
Being a Chinese, all I want to say is GDP growth makes NO SENSE to 90% of Chinese population! So why bother putting them in the news everyday....
It's sooooo sad
This also happens in Mexico City, 6 years ago i bought a crt monitor for $70 and still works, it even has a sticker from the US goverment.
Im a college student who believe the problem lays as always in those people that see "business" in everything, and by business I mean to get a profit at expense of someone else´s health/life.
If you really want to help and make a difference, donate your electronics, dont "recycle them" unless they dont work anymore or are too old. I have no idea how that works in the US, but "down here" there are a lot of schools that would benefit from having a classroom with computers, so many students who need to pay up to $2 per hour to use a computer in order to do their homework.
Man!, if we could organize and fill a truck with working computers and send it to the right place (i.e. third world scool/students) it´d be awesome. Just wanted to share my thoughts, if someone has an idea to make a change u can find me here. thnks
One way to help is to buy from responsible companies like Apple who openly stated their Macs won't contain mercury and many other hazardous materials. Apple indirectly hires like 200,000 assembly workers in China. So buying an Apple product will help giving more jobs to China. Also Macs last much longer than PCs and hold its resale value better, which means less Macs have to go to dumpster. BTW I came from China to US in 1996 and knows both countries' problems. China as far more problems right now but the younger generation are less stupid/corrupt than the 50+ year olds.
Doesn't anyone think it is a bit weird for engadget to have an article of this content with a Sprint Mobile touch cell phone ad plastered in the top quarter of the page. Think the advertising layout should be a little more carefully thought out next time. I know that we are surrounded by e-gadget ads everywhere we go but, I would have expected engadget to make more of an effort to be more sensitive to the articles content. By leaving the ads in place on this page (content above) sends a message that they are not really aware of the issues expressed in the article. Purely sensationalizing the article, not as a means to help inform readers as part of social change.
This isn't exactly revelatory. There is a documentary including lots of footage of this: http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=manufacturedlandscapes&mode=reviews