A joint investigation between Greenpeace and the UK’s The Independent and Sky News used a GPS tracking device to reveal the dark underbelly of UK recycling practices. Acting on a tip that e-waste such as old TV’s and computers were being bought and sold unusable to Nigeria, the three outfits threw a GPS tracking device in an old TV that had been tossed in a landfill and found the tipster to be genuine.
A company called BJ Electronics bought the TV from the dumpsite and exported it to Nigeria–a illegal trade by British law–for a huge markup. And once again, the TV didn’t work. Nigeria says that roughly 50 percent of the illegal imports received from the UK don’t work and end up being ravaged by kids looking for spare parts to sell for cash. Of course these kids are then exposed to any hazardous and toxic materials coming from the old equipment.
Makes you wonder, but is a definite testament to the power of GPS.
(Image Credit: Greenpeace)
