This isn't Michigan specific, but the implications are local. Have you ever recycled a monitor, a laptop computer--any kind of screen? Are you sure it was recycled? What does recycling mean, exactly, to you?
I can't embed the video right now, but follow the link below to see the coverage from 60 Minutes of a story about the fates of "recycled" electronics. This isn't the only story on this topic, but it's a good one.
60 Minutes: China's Wasteland of Toxic Consumer Electronics Revealed
The folks handling our waste in this particular town are less likely to have successful pregnancies. They have more cancer. They have painful looking sores on their hands. The whole town is toxic. Is this an environmental justice issue, or rather environmental injustice?
I have three--count them, three-- old laptops at home that I haven't disposed of because I haven't gotten around to wiping the hard drives. But now, I'm pretty sure they'll stay in my closet for a long time--until I know exactly where they are going.
What can we do locally to ensure environmental justice, particularly in regards to electronic waste, but more broadly, as well?
I think the most disturbing aspect of this issue is that there are folks trying to do the right thing. They believe they are disposing their waste responsibly. And even the recyclers they bring it to believe they are handling it responsibly. But this waste goes through so many hands that it is difficult to track, and difficult to know if it ends up upltimately costing the environment. Another good story about this is here: http://greatlakesecho.org/2009/03/23/discarded-computers-pose-recycling-risks/
Posted by: David Poulson | June 19, 2009 at 08:28 AM