A new report published by Secure IT has indicated that NHS computers have previously been dumped in Ghana where child labour is being used under hazardous conditions. According to experts, information which was previously stored on those dumped computers can still be extracted and used for blackmail, hacking into bank information, and extortion. In light of this new information industry insiders are warning computer owners to make sure that any redundant ICT equipment is properly wiped clean of all data prior to disposing of it. Deleting old records is particularly important when hard drives contain financial or personal information. UK and other ... Full Story

The Vancouver winter Olympic Games may have already come to a close, but for those athletes that took home the prized medals will have a piece of that victory to carry with them forever. Although the athletes medals represent a personal victory, the medals now also represent a small victory in eco-friendly recycling. This year, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, the medals were made using recycled metals which were salvaged from discarded e-waste. A Canadian mining company, Teck Resources, was hired by the Olympic Committee to construct the medals using recycled gold, silver, and bronze from ... Full Story

In a new report released by the UN Environment Programme, findings reveal that developing nations such as Morocco, China, India and South Africa are experiencing a growing pile of e-waste issues with the rise in popularity of electronics. The consequences could be damaging to public health and the local environments if not addressed properly and in a timely fashion. Currently, over 40 million tonnes of e-waste is being generated globally per year. This number has caused the UN experts to warn countries that action must be taken to prevent disastrous consequences. The report drew on 11 separate developing countries to estimate future ... Full Story

E-waste has become one of the largest concerns of the recycling and waste management industries of the United Kingdom.  People and businesses are still unsure what to do with old computers, printers, monitors, and mobile phones  and many of these things end up being disposed of improperly or recycled for very little money.  Is was recently revealed that the United Kingdom was dumping e-waste onto third world nations, largely as a part of scams aimed to cheat companies out of money by offering services that were not legitimate.  Now businesses are being cautious about their e-waste as they know that ... Full Story

www.environment-agency.gov.uk An EU directive, meant to resolve issues related to electronic waste, is reportedly being abused in Britain. Raids conducted over the last few months aimed at enforcing the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive have revealed that organised crime is involved in the recycling sector. During early June raids, Environment Agency officials and police targeted an Upminster farm and a Rainham industrial site, finding over 500 containers filled with used computers, computer monitors, refrigerators and other assorted electrical waste set to be exported illegally to Africa, where the disused equipment would be stripped for raw materials. Chris Smith, the national enforcement ... Full Story

www.weeereco.com A new Westhoughton-based PC recycling company has been launched to capitalise on the government’s strict regulations regarding environmental pollution by electric and electronic waste. Company founders Neil McMillan, Paul Green and Iain Froggatt set up Weeereco Ltd with an investment of £50,000 early this year, with the idea of improving IT and PC recycling performance. The company is now licensed to collect and recycle used PCs, circuit boards, microchips, monitors and cables. In the current economic climate, the firm’s directors believe they will benefit – unfortunately – from the failure of business that will need to dispose of PCs and other electronic equipment. Weeereco ... Full Story

www.dell.com Dell has announced a move banning non-working electronics from being exported to developing countries - that may well force rival manufacturers to follow its lead. It is the first major computer manufacturer in the US to institute such a ban. The firm’s new global policy still allows working computers and computer components to be exported, but requires that all non-working parts remain in the country in which they were sold, for recycling or disposal. Exporting non-functioning electronics -or e-waste - has been a problem in the US in particular, where there are few laws on the books controlling the handling of toxic ... Full Story

www.stonegroup.co.uk The Stone Group, computer hardware manufacturer and IT systems specialist, has announced the development of a new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling site, at the cost of £500,000. Staffordshire’s new facility has the capability of recycling a half tonne of WEEE per hour into an end project measuring just 30mm, from which precious metals can then be extracted.  It will provide assistance to the operator and customers regarding WEEE disposal guidelines. Currently, only one-third of all WEEE is disposed of properly, according to European Commission (EC) estimates. This new facility will be the first in the UK that is privately-operated. James ... Full Story

www.cfs.co.uk Computers donated to developing nations by Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) are now being sent back to the UK as they become defunct, so they can be safely recycled. CFS is the first company in the UK to be involved in a scheme that responds to the increasing problem of e-waste in the developing world that is at least partly the result of the donations of computers made by businesses around the world. Old computers from many businesses often end up in African countries, as well as in Pakistan and India, meant to help provide opportunities for some of the world’s most disadvantaged ... Full Story

Some of the UK’s electronic waste that is meant to be recycled is being exported to Nigeria illegally, where items are being sold as second-hand goods, according to a Greenpeace report. The environmental activist organization has exposed the practice in which the African nation has become one of the many destinations where the world’s toxic electronic waste is being shipped. "Companies can stop this illegal toxic trade now by ensuring their goods are free from hazardous components. It is critical they take full responsibility for the safe recycling of their products and put an end to the growing e-waste dumps that are ... Full Story

A group of 32 North American electronics recyclers in partnership with the Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and others, are hoping to end the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing countries. The group, known as E-Stewards, has launched an initiative to certify and accredit North American recycling companies as "responsible recyclers." Recent studies of electronics recycling practices have revealed that most North American e-waste ends up in African and Chinese landfills. Studies include the television report by CBS, "Following the Trail of Toxic E-Waste" and the recently-released report by U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) entitled "Electronic Waste: EPA Needs ... Full Story

According to a plastic and waste recycler, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is not delivering what it was meant to, as export waste levels are on the increase. The director of Axion Recycling, Keith Freegard, said: “It is clear the WEEE Directive is failing to deliver what it set out to do. The best treatment, recovery and recycling techniques should be applied to maximise material re-use and to minimise human health and the environment.” Freegard noted that the WEEE Directive was put in place so that electrical waste would be recycled into new products and hazardous materials would be ... Full Story