Welcome to the world of Electronic Recycling in Dublin, Ireland. Our News will mostly include articles and information on the world of recycling with a specific attention to recycling of Electronic Waste and Data Security.

Searching the blog under "Data Security, Exporting or Donating" will bring up a list of related articles

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Computers for Irish Schools




Computers for Irish Schools Ltd. (CFIS) is a new initiative set up to allow companies to donate working computers to Irish Schools
CFIS will take equipment, which is not quite ready for the recycling bin, and prepare it for donation to designated Schools. Equipment, which is deemed suitable is tested, cleaned and prepared for donation. Each machine is checked to see if it meets a minimum specification, wiped of any data or corporate information using U.S Department of Defence Software and donated to a designated school, with a maximum of 20 machines per school.

If Required, CFIS produce a detailed report including, serial numbers of machines received, a certificate stating that hard drives have been wiped, that CFIS have taken ownership of the equipment and a certificate of donation, which will include the name of school who received the machines. Donor companies are listed on our website, unless they wish to remain anonymous

When the equipment donated becomes obsolete or too old to maintain it will be taken back from the schools and recycled through Electronic Recycling in Dublin. The schools must return the equipment for recycling as part of their donation contract, this ensures that all equipment is disposed of in an environmental friendly manner with no obligation or costs to the schools or the original donating company

This initiative has been put in place by Electronic Recycling in Dublin who noticed that a percentage of IT equipment, received for recycling, was of a high enough specification to be used in a school environment. Companies are paying to have their equipment recycled and although it costs more to prepare the computers for schools, Electronic Recycling cover this expense so that there is no cost to the schools and no extra charge to companies whose equipment is donated.

The program also includes a mobile phone recycling initiative that provides sports equipment vouchers to schools for old mobile phones

More info here

Friday, September 5, 2008

Poisoning the Poor, Electronic Waste in Ghana

A Greenpeace science team visiting two scrap yards in the capital city Accra and the city of Korforidua, Ghana, has confirmed that soil and sediment taken from two electronic waste (e-waste) scrap yards are severely contaminated with hazardous chemicals. This information was released on August 5th in a report entitled "Chemical contamination at e-waste recycling and disposal sites in Ghana" exposing the extent of environmental contamination caused by the recycling and disposal of e-waste.

Greenpeace researchers visited two scrap yards – one at Agbogbloshie market, in the capital city Accra, the main center for e-waste recycling in Ghana, and one in the city of Korforidua. Samples were taken from open-burning sites at both locations as well as from a shallow lagoon at the Agbogbloshie.Samples contained toxic metals including lead in quantities up to one hundred times above normal levels found in uncontaminated soil and sediment samples. Other chemicals such as phthalates which are known to interfere with sexual reproduction, were found in most of the test samples. One sample also contained a high level of chlorinated dioxins which are known to contribute to cancer."Many of the chemicals released are highly toxic, some may affect children's developing reproductive systems, while others can affect brain development and the nervous system," said Dr. Kevin Brigden of Greenpeace International. "In Ghana, China and India, workers, many of them children, may be exposed to substantial levels of these hazardous chemicals."Containers filled with old and often broken computers, monitors and TVs arrive in Ghana from Europe and the United States under the false label of "second-hand goods" or are simply dumped. The majority of the containers' contents end up in Ghana's scrap yards to be crushed and burned by workers, often children, sometimes using only their bare hands. This method not only pollutes the environment but also exposes workers to potentially toxic dust and fumes. This crude "recycling" is done in search of metal parts, mostly aluminum and copper