'60 Minutes' examines the business of e-waste recycling

In Sunday's 60 Minutes, the CBS TV news magazine examines the lucrative but shadowy business of mining e-waste--junked computers, televisions, and other old electronic products--for valuable components, including gold. However, often illegal and hazardous activity creates toxic pollution, which in turn leads to brain damage, kidney disease, cancers, and mutations. In the segment, correspondent Scott Pelley examines the ethics of the recycling industry. (For the full 60 Minutes segment, see "The Electronic Wasteland.")

In the first clip, Pelley takes a tour of Denver electronic waste recycling company GRX, a member of "E-Stewards." The stringent program is run by the Basel Action Network, a watchdog group that certifies ethical recyclers that do not ship their toxic materials overseas.

In the second clip, the 60 Minutes crew chronicles piles of electronics blanketing the Chinese countryside waiting to be recycled. E-waste workers in Guiyu, China, where Pelley's team videotaped, put up with the dangerous conditions for the $8 a day the job pays.

In the third clip, scientists discuss e-waste, the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste stream worldwide, and the impact it has on those whose lives depend on it. The toxic pollution from black market recycling leads to brain damage, kidney disease, cancers, and mutations.

In the fourth clip, Pelley and his crew are attacked and threatened with violence by area gangsters overseeing the e-waste operations who tried to take the CBS team's cameras. The smugglers were trying to protect the lucrative business of mining e-wasted. However, Pelley's crew managed to escape and bring back footage of the hazardous activities.

[gsmiller88]

Sad.

[Electro_Fox]

Thought, in that last one, there was going to be a smackdown... Imagine that, foriegn land, angry mob, no real help at reach... Wow, I'd be a little scared. I'm glad they got out of there. They should call it 'Got out of China in 60 Seconds"...

[P8TYS]

I stopped watching about 3/4 through the report after getting tired of the one-sided guilt-trip they were laying on the US consumer. The person who donates and the recycler have no responsibilty what others do with the waste after it leaves their possession. This is a failure of Chinese goverment to properly regulate their own irresponsible citizens.

[jackflash000]

One sided guilt trip of the American consumer....are you out of your mind? These recyclers are criminals.The American public may be naive but we believe watchdogs DO THEIR JOB. The entire industry must be overhauled. I can guarantee the next time I recycle a computer I'm asking questions.

[Vurk]

It is obvious that the poster who whines about "guilt trip" has some sympathy toward the criminals. Perhaps they re illegal e-waste dumpers as well?

[jfleisher]

In the segment, they said that there is a US law that had been broken. Does anyone know what law is on the book? And if so, it obviously needs more teeth.

[styymy]

Its despicable what's going on over there. Both governments are at fault for this but I am not surprised that this stuff ended up over there. The only thing that surprised me was that this place actually had a mayor and city hall.

[tk40015]

Who's the guilty party here? When you're at the corporate end, you're trying to make a few extra dollars. When you're in China's end, you're also trying to make a few extra dollars. The government of either country won't stop and say to anyone, stop making money, as long as enough people are satisfied. no one has to be happy, just satisfied. At the end of the day, as long as enough people have enough money and problems are solved, than people are satisfied. Communism, Democracy, the corruption is the same at any level.

[jfleisher]

I think the global economic fiasco has taught us that what happens in the US impacts the rest of the world and vice versa. We can't bury our heads in the sand--and say it's not our problem. We're sending "electronic bombs" over there that is causing major disease and can endanger whole generations.. We can be responsible and still make money.

From what I understand, one of the big problems is that we're sending e-waste under the guise of being charitable. Use these computers, etc. for the good of the people in underdeveloped nations.
Again, does anyone know what law is in place to prevent this?

[saschlecht]

Lack of hard law makes independent watchdog organizations like the Basel Action Network so important.

[PCRecycler]

This is terrible. These activites can not be allowed to continue. There is new legislation and regulations be developed as I type this. find out more at www.pcrecycler.net

[laimelady]

BUSTED! Now ...put these criminals in jail for (if nothing else) fraud.

Years ago in Marin County (N.CA) there was a Waste Removal Company that did something similar. The county back in 2001 was at nearly 50% recycling. Pretty good for a ritzy area. And they didn't take kindly to being shammed aka current term -punk'd. But the SF Bay Area went after them (dumped recyclables in another county's landfill) with all the lawyers that wanted in on the travesty.
I'm sure scams will occur again, but going after these t**d-balls in public trashing their incomes and reputations sends a BIG message to any other loosers NOT to try the same thing.
I think the companies should be taken over by TRUE ECO-aware individuals with REAL foresight and integrity, that way the already established infra-structure and employees can continue without the airhead corporation.

[retroworks]

Here is what 60 Minutes missed. We interviewed with them for 2 hours, but when the thugs tried to take Scott Pelley's camera, they dropped this side of the story http://retroworks.blogspot.com/2009/08/cbs-60-minutes-wasteland-unseen-footage.html