Fears raised over poor recycling conditions in India
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - 11:00:24
Many people who recycle their old mobile phones or other products may pay little heed to where their items end up, once they are taken out of their hands. However, a report on Waste Management World, highlights the dangers associated with harnessing unscrupulous methods of recycling, which can lead to problems in developing countries.
In the US, it was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which announced this year that up to 80 per cent of recycling businesses based in America are not properly disposing of electronic waste and are, instead, simply sending it overseas to emerging markets, where it is essentially dumped.
It is cited that 17 children were recently rescued from one so-called 'toxic wasteland' in India, after it was discovered that they were living and working in environments contaminated by the hazardous materials found within waste electronic items.
Campaigners are now calling for the e-Stewards Standard, which is essentially a set of regulations requiring basic levels of safety for workers in recycling, to be rolled out across more of the market in the US, where just 11 per cent of electronic waste is recycled in the first place.
Of course those who are based in Britain have a better chance of recycling their unwanted tech gadgets, without worrying about whether or not they will be causing damage in a far off land.
By using reputable mobile phone recycling companies, you will know that your old handset is either being refurbished and passed on to a new user, or else stripped for parts and materials, so that new models can be created further down the line.
While there are definitely unscrupulous companies out there, using mainstream recycling initiatives and comparing the options, will help you find the best firm for the job.
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