Track my Trash

A recent BBC Panorama programme highlighted the issue of e-waste. This was originally shown on Monday, 16th May 2011. click here to see the report and click here to see the show.

Here at TERC, we welcome this kind of publicity as it shows the importance of choosing the correct partner, not just one with the right accreditations but with the right attitude. The number of disposal companies operating in the UK is steadily growing but very few offer the full service: often 'cherry picking' recycling opportunities and then sub-contract with more specialist, fully accredited companies such as ourselves for the more difficult or environmentally hazardous elements.

Despite WEEE legislation, yearly, thousands of containers of electronic waste make their way from developed countries, including the UK, to dumping grounds in India, Africa and China. Environmental legislation in these countries allow unscrupulous waste traders to exploit the low labour costs, and maximise the profit to be gained by recovering the precious materials in this type of waste. The toxic content in electronic waste and the basic recovery methods pose tremendous risks to the health of workers - most of whom are children - and to the environment.

This toxic trade is possible because fraudulent traders are posing as legitimate recycling organisations and unwitting businesses are being conned into using them for the disposal of electrical equipment. These traders don't declare the contents of their shipments as hazardous waste, but falsely claim consignments consist entirely of electrical equipment destined for productive reuse in developing countries.

Therefore it is absolutely essential to choose the right partner.

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