Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrohome
I absolutely dispise e-waste places and e-waste events as well as they fly right in the face of living in a free country. I think most e-waste places should be shut down and we help feed and clothe the homeless and less fortunate and give them decent homes as well instead.
E-waste places and e-waste events are a major threat to our free and democratic countries we call Canada and the United States of America-so much for the land of the free:-( The Consitution & The Bill Of Rights are under siege :-(
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I see your points, but let's think about this for a moment.
If there were no such places developed, as the previous two posters said, there would be no recycling of said material. Recycling is essential to a production based economy, not only from the standpoint of not enough safe places to bury waste, but as an available source of raw materials to create new products. One glance at the current prices scrap metal brings shows the value of such an endeavor, environmental impacts aside.
Now let's turn the tables and think about legislating the recycling of said materials by the people, putting things back into use that are discarded. Sounds like a wonderful idea! But here's where capitalism comes in, and don't think this doesn't happen already.......
Let's say the manager of said recycling center takes in some "old" electronics, and among them is a McIntosh tube amp. Chances are, the manager is going to be smart enough to do his research and knows what is being disposed of. Me thinks that piece somehow escapes the big cardboard crate destined for a third-world "recycling center". In addition, center managers most likely know who will grease his palm and for what. If he doesn't, he has no desire for money and is doing his job thinking that he is doing his part to help people worldwide create jobs. Mmmmm....ya.
Now, let's say that there was a free pick from anyone through this stuff, even some kind of lottery system where everyone who wants one can get one item with a special ticket. A potential boon for the TV collector, or collector of anything, but then we get hoarding, and the centers simply become hangouts for people that fill their homes with everything from first-generation Pentium computers incapable of running even windows 98, dot matrix printers, copiers, and yes, televisions.
How many of us, if such a system were developed, would double their stash within a couple months, and most likely not stop there? I'll be the first to raise my hand.
There was a news clip recently that showed some of the stuff being recycled, and among the items was a Zenith System 3 console, an RCA Mural TV, and a Colortrak 2000. Would I have brought them home if I could have, to save them from the recycler? Maybe, but then again I pass up that stuff on a regular basis for a few bucks at thrift stores.
Think it over, as much as we may not like it, it does make sense.