Scrap PCs smuggled, dumped in Africa, China

The British government needs to tighten up the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive to prevent e-waste being illegally exported to and dumped in the developing world, according to a charity group. Computer Aid International has launched a petition today calling on the UK gov to provide the Environment …

[Anonymous Coward]

Scam

Makes a change for British nationals to be perpetrating an illegal scam on the Nigerians! Oh the irony....

[Sam Green]

Harsh

"often by children who disassemble the equipment – then stripped down and incinerated in the open air"

Those poor children

[Gary Turner]

Do-gooders trying to keep the third world down

"… how in Nigeria alone more than half a million second-hand PCs arrive in Lagos every month, (all those nephews of the late, unlamented minister of whatever need those computers in order to find an honest person who will help them smuggle out their ill-gotten loot) even though only one in four works. (thank gawd for small favors)"

[Stephen Taylforth]

Hmmm.

If customs (or any enforcement agency) opens a container of old PCs labeled electronic equipment for re-use, how on earth are they going to tell if they are actually going to be reused or destined for the scrap merchants and their child labour ?

[Nick Burns]

What a Charity

Seriously? A Charity that remakes computers for 3rd world countries?

Wouldn't it be better to feed these people? Dead Africans aren't going to learn how to use computers very well.

[Pete Scott]

Personal Details

So next time you bin your PC, any personal details left on the hard drive could end up in Nijeria. Say no more...

[Daniel Barnes]

Computer Vendors?

"The group also hit out at computer vendors (though it didn’t name names), saying that some have “shirked responsibility” for their equipment dumped in developing countries."

I don't think you can blame Dell or any other computer manufacturer for what happens after the customer has had enough of their machine, it's like blaming Cadbury's If I threw my dairy milk wrapper on the floor.

[blackworx]

See Also...

The Daily Mail's own highly emotive and slightly screechy (but actually relatively in-depth) article from July...

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/moslive/article-1033832/The-Dirty-Secret-Your-NHS.html

[Martin]

@Computer Vendors?

These are machines returned to the Vendors for disposal. Under WEEEEEEEE you have to take back and recycle or safely dispose of any electricla equipment you make.

Recycle generally means shipping it to somewhere cheap without any enviromental laws.

[Rich]

Children disassembling computers

I sepnt my childhood tearing old electronic gear apart to try and make stuff out of it. In that era it must have been stuffed with mercury, PCBs, all sorts of shite..

Never did me any harm. (twitch, twitch).

[Anonymous Coward]

China?

They are not dumping it, they are just sending it home.

Go into any discount store, China gets us to pay to take their junk!