8 Oct
2005
8 Oct
'05
2:44 p.m.
On 10/8/2005 at 5:27 PM William Donzelli wrote:
Sending the scrap off to China is very easy, and
frankly,
environmental restrictions on shipping things kind of go away when the
scrap is set to leave the country. Plus, the Chinese do pay well.
It's funny that a lot of so-called "green" electronics recycling centers get
very quiet when you ask them where they send their PCB's for processing. It's not
uncommon for rural communites in China to extract components from PCB's by an
unprotected low-wage worker heating the boards in the open over a charcoal fire. After
the components have been separated, the bare boards are simply taken to the town dump.
Reminds me of Taiwan not so very long ago. Used wire was sent there for copper
relcamation. The method of removing the insulation (usually PVC) was burning in the open
air.
As countries ascend the economic ladder, they are reluctant to process another's toxic
waste. I suspect we'll eventually end up shipping electronic trash to Africa for
processing.
Cheers,
Chuck