EPA Catches E-Waste Polluters

CRT Monitors are a major hazard

Two companies, one based in Toronto, Canada, and the other in Minnesota, are being charged with penalties of $31,600 by the Environmental Protection Agency for exporting e-waste, including monitors containing cathode ray tubes (CRTs), to Vietnam. The companies listed were Metro Metals Corp., based in Canada, and Avista Recycling Inc., in Hopkins, Minnesota,
According to a new report, “the EPA claims the companies exported a shipment of 913 discarded computer monitors to Vietnam on December 6, 2010. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the shipment.”
The EPA commented on the seizure: “Companies that collect discarded cathode ray tubes must be held accountable to manage these wastes in compliance with our laws which ensure that they will be properly handled, and not sent abroad to countries that have not agreed to receive waste from the U.S.” said Edward Kowalski, EPA’s Director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle.
Color CRT monitor may contain toxic amounts of arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead and mercury.
To read the article at Environmental Leader, click here.

It is very important to practice responsible e-waste collection to prevent pollution. The Computer and Technology Resource Center does not recycle e-waste out of State, and uses certified e-waste collectors and recyclers.