Home | China | World | Business New Report Documents Dumping of U.S. High-Tech Trash in Asia TUE, FEB 26, 2002     Huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes (e-wastes) are being exported from the United States to Asian countries, according to a report released by U.S. environmental organizations on Monday. The report, Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia, said that U.S. computer makers and their consumers, along with the U.S. government, have been using Asian countries such as China, Pakistan and India, as a dumping ground for e-waste. In these countries, subsequent handling of e-waste from the United States presents a significant threat to human and environmental health, said the report issued by the Seattle-based Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. There are no statistics on how much e-waste is exported from the United States, but the report said that "very knowledgeable and informed industry sources have estimated that around 80 percent of what is diverted to recycling is actually exported to Asia." Quoting one study estimating that in 2002, 12.75 million computer units will go to recyclers in the U.S., the report said that a total of 10.2 million units would move offshore to Asia. "This is the equivalent of a tightly stacked pile of computer waste one acre square (4,047 square miters) and 674 feet (202 meters) high," the report said. According to the report, it was estimated that 20 million computers became obsolete in the United States in 1998, and the overall e-waste volume was estimated at 5 million to 7 million tons. E-waste contains over 1,000 different substances, many of which are toxic, and creates serious pollution upon disposal. The environmental organizations call on the United States to follow Europe's example and immediately implement the global ban on the export of hazardous wastes from the United States to developing countries and likewise to solve the e-waste problem "upstream" by mandating that the electronics industry institute "take-back" recycling programs, toxic input phase-outs and green design for long-life, upgradeability and ease of recycling. The United States is the only developed country in the world that has failed to ratify the Basel Convention, a United Nations environmental treaty which has adopted a global ban on the export of hazardous wastes from the most developed countries to developing countries. Editor:Zhong Source:Xinhua Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved