China Bans U.S. Electronic Scrap

ReverseC writes "Think twice before you throw that those computer parts in the garbage. Do you really know where it's going? The Guardian reports China has banned US's electronic junk." We did a previous story about the U.S. dumping electronic scrap in China.

Comments

toxic junk

[Anonymous Cowrad]

It seems perfectly reasonable that they want to keep lead, mercury and all the other nasties out of their groundwater. This is definitely going to be a problem in the US within the next couple decades, and I wish we were as proactive as China.

Christ, I just said I wish we were as proactive as China. Has hell frozen over or something?

Should I feel bad?

[papasui]

The article author sorta makes me feel like I'm supposed to feel bad that my old harddrive ends up in China. Now, I don't have any experience with this but I'm guessing that China is purchasing this junk or is atleast allowing the US to ship it to them for a chunk of money. I don't think that we're flying it over Beijing and dropping it by the plane load, could be wrong but I'd think we'd have a few more problems with China if this was the case. If anyone other country out there wanted to house the US's toxic waste I'm not gonna feel sorry for them because their nation is ran by idiots. My $0.02.

Being an American

[certsoft]

I bet I'll get modded down by the flag humpers here but it seems like almost every day I read something that makes me ashamed to be an American. It would seem that if a treaty might cost some of our precious business profits it won't get ratified. On the bright side I'm not a breeder so I don't have to worry about the world my kids will live in.

You could be right

[Erris]

Quoth the article:

However, it appeared to leave a loophole by saying that if "proper methods" were used, the environment need not be harmed.

As the US Internal Revenue Service is fond of saying, "All income is taxable." Proper methods, without doubt, will consist of paying a licensing fee. If all those "made in China" tags on electronic junk is a guide, the Chineese government does not mind paying an environmental price. If they are developing anything like their Former Soviet friends did, the price will be high. This blurb, like any other where there is no freedom of speech and press, is just propaganda.

Technofix will cure everything (was Re:toxic junk)

[Simon Brooke]

Quoth Saeger:

No it won't. In the next couple decades molecular nanotechnology will be quite mature.

Technofix.

When I was a kid, people built nuclear power stations. 'Don't worry', they said, 'in the next couple of decades nuclear reprocessing technology will be quite mature'. Now it's time to pull the bloody things down, and still no-one has come up with a safe solution to the waste problem. But never mind. Tachnology will fix everything. It's just around the corner.

And there will be jam for tea tomorrow.