Not long ago, CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired a story about e-waste and global dumping. Reporters followed a trail of electronic recycling items from a Denver-based company to Hong Kong, China, and caught the so-called “recycling” company red-handed engaging in the global dumping of electronic waste.

With over 80% of recycled computer and electronics ending up as high-tech e-waste in developing countries like China, India, and Africa, we need to step up as responsible global citizens and choose computer recycling companies. and electronic products very carefully. . We must support only those electronics recycling companies that are running a socially and environmentally sound operation, from start to finish. To understand how global landfill occurs, it helps to first understand the business model for electronic recycling.

To sustain themselves as a business, electronic recyclers must generate sufficient revenue from all of their recycling and reuse services and the recovery of precious metals and other recycling materials, minus operating costs and the cost of demanufacturing those items that have no value (but do damage). the environment).

The difference between an environmentally responsible computer and electronics recycling company and an irresponsible one can be broken down as follows: a) the way they generate revenue from reuse; (b) how they recover precious metals and recycling materials; c) how they manage the process of demanufacturing low-value toxic elements.

Consider the precious metals reclamation process for a moment. A responsible company would need to invest in having a safe working environment with adequate protective equipment for its workers and adequate waste treatment procedures to avoid environmental contamination. Additionally, a responsible electronics recycling company will operate using specialized dismantling equipment that protects workers from harmful materials or dust escaping during the dismantling process.

An irresponsible recycling company avoids any investment in the de-manufacturing area. In fact, irresponsible recycling companies never see the workers who eventually break leftover electronic parts. As seen on the “60 Minutes” show, those workers are often low-paid laborers from remote villages, using their bare hands and primitive tools like chisels and hammers to extract precious materials from discarded items. The final discarded parts are then dumped anywhere, in rivers or streams or burned in a swamp, causing significant public health problems.

The most hazardous materials found in e-waste are not recovered precious metals, but low-value toxic materials, such as mercury found in switches and flat panel displays, and brominated flame retardants used in printed circuit boards, cables and plastic covers. These are the materials that require the greatest investment in the demanufacturing process. In short, the cost of running a safe-to-operate demanufacturing facility makes responsible electronic recycling much more difficult than the widely used alternative: global landfill.

Caving in to the higher recovery prices offered by irresponsible global dumpers, many so-called recycling collectors send their materials to irresponsible recyclers, who in turn “sell” the recycling load to exporters. A few handshakes later, and the cargo of e-waste arrives at the ports of the poorest countries in the global village. Since the US prohibits the dumping of e-waste in other countries, most of the e-waste cargo is shipped labeled “Used Equipment”, while in fact, most recycled e-waste is too old or too decommissioned to have any reuse value.

To identify a responsible recycling company, one must first be able to identify the telltale signs that a recycling company is engaging in global dumping.

Irresponsible recycling companies:

1. Avoid educating the public about the e-waste crisis, either on your company website or in your company marketing material. Irresponsible electronics recyclers make it look too easy for the consumer to ask no questions.
2. Skip the details about how they track and manage the recycling process to prevent global dumping. Again, the less the consumer knows, the easier it is for an irresponsible electronics recycler to engage in some form of global dumping.
3. Host greenwash events with reputable non-profit organizations that do not understand the proper recycling process. By making the electronics recycling process sound easy and hiding under the guise of raising funds for schools, chambers of commerce, police association leagues, and other non-profit organizations, these electronics recyclers further disarm the public. in general about “donating” your unwanted electronics at “fundraising” events. . Electronics recyclers who participate in a greenwash fundraiser don’t charge any recycling fees, but they generate enough funds to donate to the nonprofit and can still afford the high costs of demanufacturing toxic items. This business model does not exist because it is simply too good to be true. It is also an abuse of the goodwill of the non-profit organizations involved. The truth is that these fundraising “recyclers” collect items that can be salvaged for cash and then dump the rest in developing countries. They incur minimal handling costs when selling them as “exports”. This is how 80% of computer and electronics recycling materials in the US end up as e-waste in developing countries.
4. Failing to provide a permanent address for your electronics recycling facility or a proper permit to operate as a recycler. Many use a PO box or simply a phone number that they post during neighborhood drives. When you call, it always goes directly to an answering machine. No one is available to give you more information about their services.

Now that you know how to identify an irresponsible electronics recycling company, let’s review what a responsible electronics recycling company looks like.

1. Look for an electronics recycler who affirms a corporate commitment to address the global e-waste crisis.
2. Use computer and electronics recycling companies that are actively educating the public about the e-waste crisis and socially responsible recycling and demanufacturing.
3. Make sure your electronics recycling company can demonstrate their thorough process in evaluating reused items, items for demanufacturing, and also their monitoring system to keep track of the entire demanufacturing process.
4. Support electronics recyclers who use only US dismantling facilities that have the proper permits, dismantling machines and processes, and a health and safety monitoring system for their workers.
5. Use computer and electronic recyclers that generate enough utility revenue to allow adequate budgeting for responsible processing of toxic materials.
6. Choose an electronics recycler who is well respected by environmentalists who have focused on the e-waste crisis. These environmentalists have seen firsthand how landfilling occurs and are well versed in identifying responsible recyclers.