Submitted by Zebra Mussel on Tue, 10/09/2007 - 20:28.
Recognize "WEEE" (see photo center left). No matter if you are a soft or hard boiled environmentalist, you should be aware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. In zebramussel shell it is a Eurpean Community Directive that became law in 2003. Its having trickle down effects in our country because US based manufacturers that set recovery and recyling goals for all of their electrical products in the EU are coming under increasing common sense based pressure to adhere to the same best practices and best in class environmental guidelines regarding their domestic operations.
This is a great photo... perhaps the intent of the entire piece is to promote awareness, luckely I cant read the language but I can translate the "WEEE" for you.
You never did think it was safe to throw away your old CPU's, monitors, cell and home phones, televisions, and so on did you??
To quote wikipedia:
The directive imposes the responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) on the manufacturers of such equipment. Those companies should establish an infrastructure for collecting WEEE, in such a way that "Users of electrical and electronic equipment from private households should have the possibility of returning WEEE at least free of charge". Also, the companies are compelled to use the collected waste in an ecological-friendly manner, either by ecological disposal or by reuse/refurbishment of the collected WEEE.
Next time you walk into a Best Buy look to the right in the door way. See the battery, cell phone, ink jet recyling bin?? You can just about thank WEEE for that oppertunity. Considering these manufacturers are providing this best in class service to the euros, and hardly at all in their "Homeland" I would like to think we would be seeing more of it. ;-)
The days of our fair country leading the world with its Clean Water Act , Endangered Species Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Solid Waste Disposal Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Federal Insecticide Rodenticide Act, etc etc are LONG gone. While these regulations may have been mimic'd elsewhere in the world, I am of the increasing opinion that the days of the good ol' U-S- of A being in the pole position / leadership role in this field are long gone. The European Environment Commission by in large are the people to watch for leading edge environmental big sticks and tasty carrots to motovate the modern business.
Submitted by Susan Miller on Tue, 10/09/2007 - 21:01.
China Recycling #8, Circuit Boards, Guiyu, Guangdong Province, 2004
The E-waste is entreprenurial activity of many poorer Chinese people. You'll have to get through to the end of this video to see what I'm talking about, but the image of this old Chines woman sitting on her front porch surrounded by WEEE is stunning.
You know how we send our carboard cartons back to China for recycling and shipping more electronics to the US, right? Well thatis the place where the circuit boards are "burned", too. The process seems pretty toxic and primitive.
China Recycling #9, Circuit Boards, Guiyu, Guangdong Province, 2004
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Look at the writing on the wall - See the word"WEEE"?
Recognize "WEEE" (see photo center left). No matter if you are a soft or hard boiled environmentalist, you should be aware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. In zebramussel shell it is a Eurpean Community Directive that became law in 2003. Its having trickle down effects in our country because US based manufacturers that set recovery and recyling goals for all of their electrical products in the EU are coming under increasing common sense based pressure to adhere to the same best practices and best in class environmental guidelines regarding their domestic operations.
This is a great photo... perhaps the intent of the entire piece is to promote awareness, luckely I cant read the language but I can translate the "WEEE" for you.
You never did think it was safe to throw away your old CPU's, monitors, cell and home phones, televisions, and so on did you??
To quote wikipedia:
The directive imposes the responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) on the manufacturers of such equipment. Those companies should establish an infrastructure for collecting WEEE, in such a way that "Users of electrical and electronic equipment from private households should have the possibility of returning WEEE at least free of charge". Also, the companies are compelled to use the collected waste in an ecological-friendly manner, either by ecological disposal or by reuse/refurbishment of the collected WEEE.
Next time you walk into a Best Buy look to the right in the door way. See the battery, cell phone, ink jet recyling bin?? You can just about thank WEEE for that oppertunity. Considering these manufacturers are providing this best in class service to the euros, and hardly at all in their "Homeland" I would like to think we would be seeing more of it. ;-)
The days of our fair country leading the world with its Clean Water Act , Endangered Species Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Solid Waste Disposal Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Federal Insecticide Rodenticide Act, etc etc are LONG gone. While these regulations may have been mimic'd elsewhere in the world, I am of the increasing opinion that the days of the good ol' U-S- of A being in the pole position / leadership role in this field are long gone. The European Environment Commission
by in large are the people to watch for leading edge environmental big sticks and tasty carrots to motovate the modern business.
Terra Turbines Prima
zm
http://northcoastgreenspieler.blogspot.com/
Some WEEE goes to China
China Recycling #8, Circuit Boards, Guiyu, Guangdong Province, 2004
The E-waste is entreprenurial activity of many poorer Chinese people. You'll have to get through to the end of this video to see what I'm talking about, but the image of this old Chines woman sitting on her front porch surrounded by WEEE is stunning.
You know how we send our carboard cartons back to China for recycling and shipping more electronics to the US, right? Well thatis the place where the circuit boards are "burned", too. The process seems pretty toxic and primitive.
China Recycling #9, Circuit Boards, Guiyu, Guangdong Province, 2004
Edward Burtynsky: TED Prize wish: Share the story of Earth's manufactured landscapes
More pics and the film preview here. The film is at the Cedar Lee Theater currently. See it on the big screen.
Glad to see you back in print ZM!
Play with old hardware?
Double-entendre? Or, too much coffee?