Toxic Discarded Electronics Illegally Exported To China

The United States produces an enormous amount of e-waste -- the stuff discarded when we replace our old gadgets with newer ones. Computers and other electronic items are loaded with toxic parts, which is why it's so important to recycle them, rather than just throw them out.

But even when you think you're being a good Samaritan, recycling your stuff, it could end up being illegally exported in a strange market that forces some people to choose, as 60 Minutes reports, between poverty and poison.

WATCH:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Comments

[vert952]

So how are we supposed to know who the good guys are? You want to do the right thing, but you cant trust anybody to do it for you. Anybody got a link to website that shows where the responsible recyclers are?

[KillTheMessenger]

Just keep your electronics in the basement for now and wait until we have new regulations and an EPA with teeth.

[RightWingMarine]

This situation is not perfect but what is the alternative? We could do more to ensure that these products are recycled inside our borders or require that the sales price include a fee to pay for the recycling but that would raise the cost of the device. If companies can't turn a profit to recycle the material here why would anyone become involved in that business? With no place to take the item to be recycled in the US the next best alternative to the American consumer would be to put the unneeded item into their local landfill.

At the same time all of this removes jobs away from the people in 3rd world countries. Since their next best alternative may be digging through a garbage dump for food would this really make them any better off? You may not like the conditions these people work in and you may wring your hands over poverty or poison but really these are problems for the Chinese government and not meddlesome Americans with too much time on their hands and the urge to tell other people how to live their lives.

[JScott]

Jeez electronic/computer industry can't you do the right thing for once!!!!!!!

Wonder if Warren Buffett and Bill Gates would be apalled, hey you guys you are causing the problems that your charitable foundations are trying to resolve, DON'T YOU HAVE A CLUE!!!!!!

[KillTheMessenger]

This isn't the electronics or computer industry. We are very clean and have been for years. But once we ship a product we have no control over what happens to it. And how can we? If you decide to dump your tv or PC somewhere in the woods, there is nothing we can do about it. If you give it to someone who exports it to China or the developing word, we can't do anything about it, either.

[emsique]

This is a great example of our head in the sand, out of sight out of mind, mentality we have here. We don't want to pay the real price of recycling our crap so we take it to a "recycler" who furtively ships it off to pollute another country. We need to take responsibility for our own crap. Add a surcharge to every electronic device that will pay for the true cost of properly disposing of the toxic contents. Then have the facilities in our own country to do the job. It looks like a bunch of new jobs waiting to happen.

[MissElaineous]

So, is there a list of who will recycle responsibly? A lot of that stuff is still working and can be re-used in many ways before even thinking of breaking it down.

[BillMelater]

Taking a good look at the socio-economic situation here. The workers here are desperate to make a living and do these unsafe dangerous toxic jobs merely to eek out an existance. It is a form of slavery. This is exactly the direction that US companies have been moving American workers toward.

This type of slavery is becoming more and more common in the US with companies getting around paying overtime and providing benefits and even paying the minimum wage. Unless change comes very quickly, it won't be long until we are all socio-economic slaves to the robber barons. Some would say that we already are - I won't argue with them either.

http://billmel8er.wordpress.com

[mindylovessarah2]

The title is a tad wrong. It was imported to China. They come digging for the junk.

The Sarah Palin Lies...

http://oxyz.info/1s

If you have any problems with this link, please feel free to contact me, [e-mail].

[AnonEMous]

I watched this on 60 mins the other night, and while i do think it's a dreadful situation, i could not help but to think what they would have showed if the did a close up of all those items. . .

'Made in China'

It does not justify the E (enviro) Damage being done, but it does say something about the complaint about shipping a product back to where it was made.

Just my 2 Yuan.

[AngieMom57]

Great point!

[AngieMom57]

It's always about the money.

In an irresponsible capitalistic world, those that have the least suffer due to the blind eye of those that have the most. Just by typing on this computer screen I am one of those that have been made numb by the corrupt social engineering that has gone on world wide for the last forty years due to unethical leadership, unaccountability and corruption run rapid especially when the environment was involved.

These folks that are all concerned about a New World Order, look around, we are already a world community, the air, the water, the land, the ocean, now the economy, it's all requiring an abrupt solution in order to mend the damage done gradually over the last one hundred years.

Let's talk solar and wind power with Iran.
Let's talk yurts and organic gardening with Russia.
Let's talk water filtration with China.

[AngieMom57]

Let's talk composting toilets with Americans

[Chavez08]

Isn't Capitalism THE BEST EVVVVERRRRRRR?

[j0n0]

HAhaha....with a name like "Chavez08" it's an easy guess what you would suggest as an alternative....

[BillMelater]

I cannot help but wonder how these things would be "safely" recycled here in the US? This would have to be a very expensive endeavor to do safely. I certainly am not condoning the practice shown here, but I can't help but wonder how badly the "safe" methods pollute as well.

http://billmel8er.wordpress.com

[KillTheMessenger]

Nothing new here. That's why responsible people DO NOT "recycle" their e-waste right now but hold on to it until we have proper regulations and an EPA with teeth.

[Egalitare]

Yup, yup. "Responsible" was not in the vocabulary of the deregulation gang.

In fact, I bet they had studies that showed that just mentioning the word "responsible" would slow economic growth by 10%.