Where Computers Go To Die
Anyone that has spent a while chatting with me has probably heard me talk about the problems with electronics recycling. It is expensive and causes serious health problems in the countries that they are exported to. China (the country worst hit) has since banned the import of electronics waste, but many of the villages where the recycling has been done are so polluted now that the ground no longer sustains the farming that they once did as their main industries.
I’ve always thought that the only way to really solve this problem is to put the cost of disposal back on the producer. I actually think that this would solve many many waste problems. It would certainly reduce some of the egregious packaging we see nowadays. In any case, computer companies in general don’t seem to be doing all that great a job of making recycling easier. There are groups that pressure companies into taking back old electronics, but looking at that report card, only HP, Dell and Apple make sure that they get recycled properly. At least the cell phone market seems to have picked up on the value of the old electronics. Most cell companies will pay you to bring your old phones in while computer companies generally charge consumers. Hopefully this consumer oriented action approach will help producers of toxics realize they have an obligation.
It is also not just electronics, recycling ships is a problem as well, the Basel conference covers many different forms of societally damaging exported pollution.