The Darker Side of Computer Recycling

Makarand writes "We all know that with electronics it is very difficult to be green. We leave our computer waste in the recyle bin lest dangerous chemicals like lead and mercury seep into our landfills. The more dedicated environmentalists make a trip to the local recyling center where they may be asked around to pay around $15-$30 to recycle their old PCs. But guess what -- these 'recyclers' merely ship 50-80% of this stuff overseas. The Mercury News has a report on this ugly side of the PC industry which merely exports the recycling problems instead of solving them."

Comments

Exporting == solving

[ObviousGuy]

We have a problem. It is pollution of our local environment by decomposing (!) computer parts. The solution is to get rid of those parts so that our own environment is not hurt.

Easiest solution: ship it somewhere else.

The countries that we ship these things to are HAPPY to take them. It makes them money and it gives them spare computer parts.

If you think that taking away another country's means of existence is the right thing to do, perhaps it's time to sign up at your local anarchist hovel for the spring trip to the WTO meeting.

Trade that is welcomed by both parties is not bad. Just because third party interlopers feel the need to stamp and huff about it, it doesn't mean that it should be done away with.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Basement

[chunkwhite86]

Perhaps white trash in a georgia swamp has no business owning a PC in the first place. Ignorant rural people such as yourself are a bane to environmentalists. You dump used automotive oil and fluids into the soil, you burn your toxic garbage, you use toxic chemicals on your crops and soil. If you can't afford $30 to mail your PC to a recycler, how the hell did you buy a PC to begin with??