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eWaste Disposal Can Lead to Difficult Choices
It's best to keep in mind, that instead of finding a perfectly clean and safe method for disposing of old computers, you're likely to discover instead that there are only choices: some better, some not so good, and some very bad for humans and the environment.
One reason for this mixed and highly uncertain state of affairs is that the electronics recycling business remains in its early stages, and is still evolving, with little or no governmental guidance or restrictions.
A case in point is the Federal Prisons Recycling program, called UNICOR. Officials didn't respond to requests for an interview, but the agency's Web site states that the recycling organization, which employs 1,200 prison inmates for labor to break down and disassemble computers for components and materials recycling, provides valuable training for inmates.
"This valuable training (of inmates) includes hazardous materials handling, identification and segregation of electronic components, proper operation of equipment, electronics assessment and the opportunity to obtain their GED and A plus certification," the UNICOR site states.
Unfortunately, that may not be the full story. The prison recycling agency has come under fire in the past for unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. After a whistleblower complaint, UNICOR was placed under investigation by the federal Inspector General. Federal investigators following up on the complaint about unsafe conditions at the Federal Prison Recycling operation at the Elkton, Ohio prison measured airborne levels of lead at 50 times the legal limit and cadmium amounts that were 450 times the federal legal limit.
UNICOR's recycling processes are largely manual, depending on the federal prisons' huge cheap and literally captive labor force. This lack of automation, critics charge, ultimately endangers the health of inmate laborers. "UNICOR's policy of measured modernization-limiting automation in order to maximize the number of prisoners who work-increases the risk of workplace injuries to prisoners and guards," states an Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) report on the prison recycling program entitled "Toxic Sweatshops."
For its part, UNICOR states on its Web site that it complies with federal OSHA standards. The prison recycling program's Web site asserts that UNICOR performs medical test monitoring of both staff and inmates, including blood and urine testing for "lead, cadmium, barilium (sic), and barium."
Next: Recycler Caught in Deadly Fire
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