Ones man's toxic sludge is another mans cup-o-noodle....Cheers!

shaithis

@Kspraydad: u are not alone

lldsandsll

Everyone with a star but me. :(

Kspraydad

@Serolf Divad: Does make you think how much of a hypocrit the US can be. They shove their stuff onto Asian countries, and then have ago at Japan for killing a few fish. I am sure the danger to human life is more causeworthy than fish.

Strong Arm

How about some talk about supply chains. Everything ordered off of Apple's website is shipped from Shanghai, China. Need something repaired? Ship it to China. Where do the refurbs come from? Shanghai, China. Care to order a part for your Apple product? It'll come from China.

The company has stores in America. If I'm ordering an iPod nano to go to my home in Brooklyn because I don't have time to shlep to the store - ship it from a NY store. Heck, courier it by bike messenger.

OMG! Ponies!

@Serolf Divad: This country can't be wasting its time caring about the health and well being of FUTURE generations in countries that don't have any way of protecting themselves! We're in a fiscal crisis!! We should be thinking about OUR present!! McCain and Obama have the right idea -- bickering over things that are immediate and controversial.
It's not about making plans, it's about action now!
Plans are for losers. Duh!

qbrad

Yep...that's why I don't recycle..put all that stuff in American dumps where we can burn it later for fuel.

Kspraydad

This is really the industrialized world's shame. We take advantage of corrupt dictators and kleptocrats to dump toxic components at the doorsteps of miserably poor people (pregnant women, children, the old and frail). The law should make the Western corporations who hire shady "recycling" operators, and the operators themselves liable for cleanup and health care for these people and their communities.

Serolf Divad

You guys are all nuts.... Well every one except you... I mean you know who "You" is. anyway. We need to dump our junk somewhere. The first person who thinks this is wrong should offer up their own backyards...

Juggrnott

Stars are overrated. I'd rather havre a circle. :P

Kharnellius

@Serolf Divad: While i may agree with the message you give, i don't agree with the tactic.

I highly doubt that China, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Vietnam and Brazil consist entirely of "pregnant women, children, the old and frail".

Painting an illusion to win a crowd is lame in my book, regardless of whether that illusion is intended for good.

rainfever

Look, there's a mountain of Chinese shipping containers landing in the U.S. every single day. We gotta send 'em back with something in them, and since American industry has been run by cost cutting morons for decades, we build nothing they want. If they want our trash, send it.

sansovino

Best Buy recycles? I don't think so. A buddy was a on a jury that awarded some whistleblower against BB for tossing out their recycled "computers and batteries" into the dumpster, per management.
BB settled and paid some fine. I'm sure they are back to "recycling" the old fashion way...

SigmundTheSeaMonster

@shaithis: Give me an onion, a shoelace and a Mr. Coffee and I'll show you how to make some Hobo Chili.

And this is precisely why i recycle nothing. not because i'm lazy or anything...

bobojuice

We, the average American consumer, think we are doing the right thing by trying to save the planet and providing work and materials to poor countries where this can be done cost effectively. Our intentions were good, the corporations lied to us. SORRY.

@Kspraydad: @lldsandsll: The star thing isnt all its cracked up to be. Most of us didnt ask for them, and once we got them, we feel like we should say something deeply logical or important. As you can see, that rarely happens.

Curves

The limitless hypocrisy of the "green movement" never ceases to amuse.

novacthall

@ripfire: The fact that e-waste is deposited in other countries is old news but I think the suggestion from a government office to reconsider their methods is a new element.

I'm sure that we're all in agreement about the amazing effect this report will have on corporate behavior. /sarcasm

Jamo

Uhh.. Isn't this old news?

ripfire

@Juggrnott: I already have just about every electronic gizmo/gadget I've ever purchased up to now (working & non-working) so I'm already doing my part not to clog up the landfills.

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

@bobojuice: I'll have some Hobo Wine with mine please.

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

@Kspraydad: Well mine's an innie that's why you can't see it..

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

Hey, they made all of these devices. We're just giving them back...

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

Isn't the point that we actively consume products that are not made to last or remain functional for long periods of time? We buy technology that is designed not to be upgraded, but merely replaced. Obsolescence is designed into our gadgets. Where is my metal cell phone that has software allowing endless updates?

sonophy

@rainfever: hear hear!

pevans34

Just throw all you use electronic in the trash.

k2001

This is a good reason for all of the electronics giants mentioned to integrate life-cycle planning for their products, making sure that all old tech ends up in its proper place.

Jamo

Or... you could find a responsible recycler.

[recyclemycellphone.org]

dufus

On a somewhat related note, I heard on the radio that durable goods sales are going up. They then went on to define durable goods as those meant to last 3 years or more. It made me sad.

Gann

@OMG! Ponies!: great point... i am about globalization... it makes the world more efficient but when things like this go down its just dumb... just like shipping products from china that are miles away... lets look long term... most of these metals are finite resources and if we dont recycle them tech wont expanded as fast as it has been unless we seriously start higher tech like recycling

oh unless the LHC shows us how to create elements then we dont need to worry about it

purple-pillows

@novacthall: Agreed.

GadgetPlay

@sonophy: Dido, what he said.

@Juggrnott: I got a backyard for you it's called planet Earth and there is nothing that needs to be done to find another place. The not in my backyard mentality can boomerang in children's lead toys and tainted milk.

Your fruit probably has more frequent flier miles than you do. No matter what your birth certificate says based on buying patterns we may all be made in China.

Until it hits us personally. It's us & them. Until then, the f*ck em mentality is totally comfy. We have to crap somewhere.

However, unless you are on the inside or lucky you may want to check your ground water because to Corporations in your area you may be the backyard. They can afford the fine, you just pay for it with part of your life.

I am not rebutting "you" personally just the mentality that infects all of us all from time to time and makes argue over the obvious.

Fox Mulder

@dufus: Thanks heaps

Fox Mulder

I'll assume that the NY Times Magazine was OK with Giz using that photo?

Half the problem here is the improper disposal, but more importantly; what about the ridiculously unsafe conditions the workers deal with?

@sonophy: I would criticize the fact that these people are being exposed to OBSCENE amounts of poison not because of obsolete tech, but rather our love of new shiny toys.

Consider that there are rarely any actual improvements on cellphones from one generation to the next. For example, the LG 8X00 series phones rarely add anything particularly new to the mix. Most people break or wear out their phones or worse, "need" to get a different color or style to be cool.

Solaricide

Hmmm...... I actually see money in this :) imagine all that gold from chips heheh..... shame on you... but thanks!

snowy_coke

There is a great movie that deals with all of this. Put out in 2007 called "Manufactured Landscapes"

[www.zeitgeistfilms.com]

I recommend it to all of you.

BlumpkinKing

But where did all those old AOL Free Trial Disks go? That's the real question.

Billpearlygates

"Many of the major electronics manufacturers (Samsung, Sony, Best Buy, more)"

Hmm, when did Best Buy become a computer manufacturer? I thought they were only a retailer.

The article leaves the impression that e-waste is exported to Mexico and Brazil just to end up in salvage yards without proper processing. A couple of problems with this. First, that's not what the GAO report said. The only references to Brazil and Mexico in the GAO report mention that these are two of the only countries listed in the 25 CRT export filings with EPA as of June 2008 (p. 22 of the report). The GAO does not comment on processing conditions in either country. Perhaps the author is just assuming the worst.

Second, in point of fact, there are responsible e-waste processors in both countries that have a proper environmental license. I know because I write on waste/recycling issues in Latin America & the Caribbean (in fact, wrote one of the few books on the subject). I don't know if the CRT exports in question went to these processors, but I would guess that if the exporters in question filed with EPA, they probably picked licensed processors in the recipient nations.

This is not to say that there aren't e-waste problems and shady operations in either country. There are, but then again, such ops exist in the US too.

But Brazil at least is moving to tackle the issue, with e-waste laws recently adopted in 2 states and many more considered similar bills, several other states have waste framework laws that cover electro-electronic wastes, and both the National Congress and the National Environment Council at looking at the issue.

As for Mexico, the General Waste Law and many state laws based on it call for producers of "technological waste" (i.e., e-waste) to submit waste management plans to environmental authorities that cover assurance of proper processing, recycling and disposal. Now, tricky part is getting the authorities in question to fully use the leverage of this tool and the environmental licensing process, and the Federal Environmental Prosecutor (Profepa) to stay vigilant on e-waste issues.

Keith R
The Temas Blog

ioman01