Computer dumping 'polluting Asia'

[Ahmed Omair <ao@akunet.org>]

Computer dumping 'polluting Asia'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1839000/1839997.stm

Old computers are been dumped in Asia where they are releasing toxic
materials into the environment, say campaigners.

A report, called Exporting Harm: The Hi-Tech Trashing Of Asia, details a
group of villages in south-eastern China where computers from America
are picked apart and strewn along rivers and fields.

The transfer of hazardous waste is restricted by a 1989 treaty known as
the Basel Convention, but the United States has not ratified it.

"I've seen a lot of dirty operations in Third World countries, but what
was shocking was seeing all this post-consumer waste," said one of the
report's authors, Jim Puckett of the Seattle-based Basel Action Network.

By publishing their report, the campaigners hope it will increase the
pressure on American companies and politicians to do more to recycle
computer waste.

Burning plastics

The report says electronic waste is the most rapidly growing waste
problem in the world, with toxic ingredients such as the lead, mercury
or cadmium being released into the environment.

The campaigners visited the waste sites in Guiyu, China, in December
where people were smashing up machines to scavenge for the precious
metals inside.

The report says that workers, with little or no protection against
hazardous materials, burned plastics and circuit boards or poured acid
on electronic parts to extract silver and gold.

The effect was to fill the air with carcinogenic smoke and pollute the
water, said the report.

The campaigners said preliminary investigations in both Pakistan and
India had revealed that these countries were also receiving and
processing e-waste from the West.

Problem 'ignored'

The growing amount of computer waste is becoming an increasing problem,
with millions of devices becoming obsolete each year as the technology
industry produces faster, better and less expensive equipment.

While there are recycling programmes in the US, campaigners say much of
the e-waste finds it way to the developing world.

The report suggested that as much as 80% of the America's electronic
waste collected to be recycled is shipped out of the country.

"Everybody knows this is going on, but they are just embarrassed and
don't really know what to do about it," said Ted Smith, head of the
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, which also helped prepare the new
report.

"They would just prefer to ignore it."