One of the biggest segments of the recycling world is the recycling and management of used IT equipment. Items like used computers, laptops, printers, and fax machines represent a large portion of the waste dumped into landfills around the United Kingdom. Recent restrictions on the growth of landfills have left the country open to a variety of potential problems, including what to do with all of the excess equipment. In addition, new scams are popping up all over which seek to take advantage of businesses who are feeling the heat of new recycling laws.
The European Union set strict directives for recycling and waste management for all of its member countries. Thus far, the UK has been left behind and criticized for its failure to meet some of the standards. These new laws and regulations have left some businesses unsure of how to dispose of certain types of waste. This confusion has left them vulnerable to a variety of conmen who hope to profit from the new laws and have no intention of actually recycling.
Some groups of criminals are actually posing as computer recycling companies which charge a fee to come and remove used IT equipment from businesses. The problem is that none of these items are actually getting recycled; instead much of the waste is being shipped to the third world, which is illegal in the UK.
As many as nine hundred containers full of waste are arriving in Asia and Africa every week, much of which has been intentionally mislabeled to circumvent the laws. Studies show that an appalling amount of this waste is simply being dumped, adding to pollution problems which are already rampant in developing nations.
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