The Wasteland… an RDS prospective
By Frank Gustafson
Last night 60 Minutes ran an update on a story that they first aired in November 08.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
Here’s how they started the spot…
(CBS) This story was first published on Nov. 9, 2008. It was updated on Aug. 27, 2009.
60 Minutes is going to take you to one of the most toxic places on Earth — a place that government officials and gangsters don’t want you to see. It’s a town in China where you can’t breathe the air or drink the water, a town where the blood of the children is laced with lead. It’s worth risking a visit because, as correspondent Scott Pelley first reported last November, much of the poison is coming out of the homes, schools and offices of America.
This is a story about recycling – about how your best intentions to be green can be channeled into an underground sewer that flows from the United States and into the wasteland.
This was one of the stories that prompted the creation of RenovoData Services. We at RDS truly believe that we can impact the dumping of electronic waste on developing countries. We adhere to the eStewards standard as written by the Basel Action Network. We have a ZERO landfill tolerance policy for electronics that we collect. That means that NONE, NADA, ZIP, ZERO, will reach a landfill, neither domestic, nor abroad!! We believe that there are many reasons to adhere to this strict policy not the least of which is the protection of our clients reputation and good will, additionally the health and wellbeing of people all over the world, and just as importantly, we have a desire to leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren. It is critical not to make our laziness and desire for convenience a problem for future generations.
From the 60 minutes broadcast…
Computers may seem like sleek, high-tech marvels. But what’s inside them?
“Lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, polyvinyl chlorides. All of these materials have known toxicological effects that range from brain damage to kidney disease to mutations, cancers,” Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and authority on waste management at the Natural Resources Defense Council, explained.
“The problem with e-waste is that it is the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste stream worldwide,” he said.
Asked what he meant by “fastest-growing,” Hershkowitz said. “Well, we throw out about 130,000 computers every day in the United States.”
And he said over 100 million cell phones are thrown out annually.
Recycling of electronic waste is not difficult, but one cannot just stick his head in the sand and sent his junk to the winds with the hope that it is handled properly!! Hope is not an e-waste strategy.
What can you do? Ask the right questions. Demand documentation. Be conscientious.
What to look for in an electronics recycling partner:
- Formal, independent, yearly audits of facilities and processes
- ISO 14001 Certified – Environmental Management System (EMS) requirements are in place and in practice
- ISO 9001 Certified – Quality Management System that ensures that a systematic approach provides constant quality
- Basel Action Network (BAN) E-Stewards Member – downstream vendors audited to ensure that recycling is handled properly from pick-up through the entire recycling process
- No Landfill Policy (independently audited) 95+ % recycled to its original form and 4+ % used for renewable energy
The one area that 60 Minutes did not touch on was “data security”… imagine how much critical information is sitting in harms way. With personal information theft happening every three seconds in this country… how much information is at risk when electronics are disposed of improperly? Do you know where your data goes? Can you or your organization afford the risk?
Please take a few minutes to watch this… It could change the way you think… http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
