Government urged to act over WEEE abuses

Computer Aid International highlights illegal actions of firms exporting e-waste to the developing world

Growing problem: Unethical traders are illegally dumping WEEE

Channel firms and industry bodies have urged the government and end users to help put a stop to rogue traders illegally exporting e-waste to foreign countries.

Charity Computer Aid International is seeking to raise awareness of more than 500,000 second-hand PCs that arrive in Lagos in Nigeria every month. The machines are exported from across the western world on the basis of being re-usable, despite only one in four being so.

After disassembly, e-waste is left in landfills or burned hazardously.

Computer Aid chief executive Louise Richards said: “Our government must find out who is taking part in these practices and stop them. We are calling for more policing of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive.”

Richards commended vendors such as Dell, which runs a free take-back service on all its kit.

“One of the underlying premises of the directive is that the producer pays. Manufacturers should take more responsibility,” she said.

The directive came into force last January and Chris Spooner, general manager of WEEE specialist recycling service Midex, said the actions of fraudulent traders could hit legitimate firms in the pocket.

“People taking part in illegal practices should be brought to justice,” he said. “It is a growing problem; the docks should be policed.”

Bill Osborne, service solutions consultant for data destruction specialist Ultratec, said users also have to shoulder the responsibility.

“This is quite a worrying trend,” Osborne told CRN. “Unscrupulous traders are being allowed to do business by end users who need to be more educated.”