Yes Sir looks like government picking the winners and losers once again.


Quote Originally Posted by alloy2 View Post
Do you see anythng troubling in the exerpt below.

E-Waste Recycling: what’s really going on?



Electronic equipment contains lead, mercury, cadmium fire-retardant chemicals and arsenic. These materials are a hazard to human health and to the environment. Diverting e-waste from landfills and ensuring they are properly recycled is essential to protecting our environment.

Despite the importance of e-waste recycling, it has been a controversial topic in British Columbia since 2005, when the RCMP seized over 500,000 kg of e-waste being illegally shipped to developing countries from the Port of Vancouver. The exporters were attempting to exploit low environmental and employment standards of developing countries to gain increased profit.


Beyond the ethical problems of this practice, exporting hazardous waste to non-OECDcountries is prohibited in Canada by The Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (originally The Export and Import of Hazardous Waste Regulations). These Regulations were introduced in response to the United NationsBasel Convention, adopted in 1989 and amended in 1994.


Despite Canada’s regulations, exportation continued illegally, particularly in port cities like Vancouver. In at attempt to curb this illegal activity, the BC Ministry of Environment amended the Recycling Regulation in 2006 to include electronic and electrical waste. Two stewardship agencies, Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) and Western Canada Computer Industry Association (WCCIA), were approved to develop and administer recycling programs. The programs began in 2007 and included home televisions, computers, and computer peripherals.