"Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia," was released jointly by the Basel Action Network and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition in February 2002. The report depicts graphic images of children and adult workers with no protection breaking open and handling what we know as hazardous materials. It also displays workers using caustic acids to extract metals without regard to contamination of water resources or to worker safety.
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(1) Migrant child from Hunan province sits atop one of countless piles of un-recyclable computer waste imported from around the world. Guiyu, China. Basel Action Network, December 2001 |
(2) Imported Cathode Ray Tubes in China dumped along the Liangjiang River. Basel Action Network, December 2001. |
The report brought to light many of these issues that people, prior to the report, did not know about, or did not care to know about. As a result, many businesses and municipalities are specifying that their e.Scrap not go to export markets, and many reuse and recycling organizations are striving to differentiate the legitimate export markets from the markets that are supporting bad practices.
In October 2005, BAN issued another report, this time about exports to Africa. The documentary and published report provides insight into the amount of U.S. and European scrap, primarily computers, televisions and cell phones, being sent to Lagos, Africa. Much of the e.Scrap is sent in an effort to assist Africa in providing used computers to those who have no access. However, the report explains that most of the items sent to Lagos are not reusable and are simply dumped with no other options for disposal or recycling.
The Basel Action Network and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition have provided leadership on the issues of hazardous waste being illegally exported to developing countries in violation of the Basel Convention and is pushing governments in North America, Europe and developing countries to work together to safely and legitimately manage materials at end of life.
For more information, see the website for the Basel Action Network (www.ban.org) or the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (www.svtc.org).
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Program of the Indiana
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