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Fake Recycling Events in Pittsburgh Uncovered

EarthECycle Exports Humane Society’s Techno-Trash to China and Africa

Seattle, WA.  May 26, 2009.  EarthECycle, the electronic waste handler
for two recent Humane Society charity e-waste collection events held
in the Pittsburgh area, did not recycle the collected e-waste as
claimed, but instead crammed the collected techno-trash into at least
7 sea-going containers and exported it to developing countries.
Despite assurances made by EarthECycle owner Mr. Jeffrey Nixon, in a
Pittsburgh press conference held with Western Pennsylvania Humane
Society Executive Director Ms. Lee Nesler and Allegheny County
Executive Dan Onorato in March, that all recycling would be done
locally, the global pollution watchdog group Basel Action Network
(BAN) proved otherwise.

BAN followed the trucks, to two area warehouses and then some days
later observed the waste being reloaded onto 40 foot ocean-going
containers.  They then tracked 6 of the containers to Hong Kong and
one to South Africa.  BAN has warned authorities about their imminent
arrival and actions are now underway to halt and return the shipments.

“Sadly, once again the American public appears to have been duped by a
fake recycler and become the unwitting accomplice in what is really an
international crime,” said BAN e-Stewardship Director Sarah
Westervelt.  “People think they are doing a good deed helping animals,
and that their old stuff is getting recycled safely but the reality is
that this is a scam.”

In 2002 and 2005, BAN released two documentary films “Exporting Harm”
and “The Digital Dump” shining a spotlight on the horrors of the
global e-waste trade and its very damaging impacts of toxic
constituents in electronic products on the workers and environments of
communities in Africa and China.   Recent studies in Guiyu, China,
“ground zero” of the international waste trade, and where much of the
Humane Society collection waste was likely to have ended up, show some
of the highest levels of dioxin, lead and other cancer-causing
pollutants ever recorded.   Blood levels in 80 percent of the children
in Guiyu are elevated and already demonstrable brain impairment has
been recorded.

Last fall BAN was featured in a CBS “60 Minutes” episode when they
exposed a Colorado recycler now under investigation by US EPA.  While
exporting most e-waste remains legal in the United States, the export
of cathode ray tubes (CRTs), found in old computer monitors and TVs,
without notification and consent from the importing countries is
illegal under US law.   BAN has photographs showing CRTs inside the
containers.  Even when the exports are not illegal under US law, they
are likely to be illegal in the countries of import.

After BAN warned importing country governments of the Humane
Society/EarthECycle waste, Hong Kong authorities took immediate action
and asked the shipping company to return the containers to sender.
Five of the six Hong Kong bound containers, three of which were
expected to be trans-shipped to Vietnam, have so far been intercepted
and returned to EarthECycle.  The shipment to South Africa is due to
arrive in the port of Durban today.

BAN, together with the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) is
seeking national legislation  to ban the export of toxic e-waste to
developing countries as European countries have already done.  And BAN
has created the e-Stewards Initiative – a list of responsible
e-cyclers* that have agreed not to export hazardous e-wastes to
developing countries.

“This toxic trade is the height of global irresponsibility,” said
Sarah Westervelt.  “Our country must pass loophole-free federal
legislation to put a stop to what happened in Pittsburg and what is
happening all over America every day.” said Sarah Westervelt.  “And,
consumers must be very careful and make use of the e-Steward recyclers
who have agreed not to export toxic e-waste to developing countries.”

EarthECycle promises charities up to $10,000 for every 100,000 pounds
of e-waste collected.  The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society event
was thought to have collected 150,000 pounds of e-waste from the
public.  It is not known whether the charity ever got paid.  Meanwhile
EarthECycle appears to be hiring organizers all over the country to
create a large nationwide e-waste network to “partner” with other
charities in other cities and collect more of the public’s
accumulating mountains of techno-trash.

Research Report:  “The EarthECycle Pittsburgh Recycling Scam” is
available at: www.ban.org/Library/PittsburghScam.pdf

Photographs available at: www.ban.org/photogallery/ and others upon request.

Posted in Pittsburgh Related, Press Releases
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