First it was the fridge mountain, then it was the tyre mountain. Now discarded computers. Why are the Government failing us again and again?See a news release here that I sent out today highlighting Government failures to properly implement new legislation on computers and other equipment recycling.
Scientists at the UN university in Tokyo estimate that to make a new computer requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals. The manufacture of one computer consumes 240kg of fossil fuels, 22kg of chemicals and 1,500kg of water.
This is an issue with which I have had a fair bit of involvement - some years ago I supported Richard Drake who was living locally in starting a not-for-profit company to deal with old computers. He had already done the same in Canada where he had founded a hugely successful project: computers that worked or could be made to work would go to charity projects here and abroad while the rest would be recycled.
The CompuCycle project in Canada, started with a series of public computer collection events held on Vancouver Island in 2001 and 2002 – the first of their kind. At each event a 53ft van was filled, and sent to a recycler who guaranteed ethical recycling. A number of working machines were also collected for donation to Third World countries. Since then the project has grown lots.
I attended various meetings locally with the aim of setting up a similar project in Gloucestershire. One fascinating visit was to Stourbridge where Aonghus Gordon (see Blog below) had just purshased the Glass works - they included a machine - the first of its kind that managed to process more safely the heavy metals and all in computer monitors.
Sadly personal reasons led to Richard returning to Canada where he now runs a business collecting and processing cooking oils to convert for use in cars - his Christmas greetings show none of his enthusiasm and passion for the environment have gone. I'll have to ask Aonghus next week if the machine has been put to use.
Anyway during all that time it was already clear how the Government were failing to consider the EU requirements - indeed the implementation was put back several times - there is no excuse for the current failures.
The Conservative Parliamentary candidate was in the papers last week pictured with computors to send abroad as part of a Rotary Club project. IT for Charities also can find a home for unwanted computers. These are great projects but what is urgently called for is leadership by the Government on this to develop comprehensive solutions - businesses and IT uses need training so that they can comply with the rules.
The current failure is not just disastrous for the environment but also for winning the 'hearts and minds' of the public. The Government cannot continue saying one thing and doing another. Tony Blair talks of exercising global leadership on climate change - but he is failing to properly implement existing EU environmental legislation.
3 comments:
all electrical equipment should be collected free at the point of collection for correct disposal and recycling of parts. I was amased at the amount of copper wire in electric motors and power supplies. With the current high cost of metals i would have thought this could be recycled.Items such as vacumn cleaners seem to have a high quantity of clean recyclable material.
Collected free but those costs should be born by the companies that made the product. The real costs of producing metals like copper are hidden - environmental degredation, virtual slave labour, subsidised transport costs etc etc
Just a note to say I met Aonghus Gordon last night and that computor recycling machine has been patented and is now the only one in the world that can remove lead from monitors - they have 150,000 computors lined up ready to go v soon - they will also break down and recycle all the other bits like metals and plastic.
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