WR3A Computer Recycling To Africa (Version 1)

This is a video about computer exports, computer repair, computer reuse, and the good and bad of computer recycling. WR3A is an association which promotes "fair trade" standards for reuse, repair and recycling.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• recycling
• africa
• ewaste
• export
• computer
• reuse
• repair
• electronics
• CRT
• escrap
• e-waste
• Africa
• Senegal
• Good
• Point
• recycle
• WR3Aretroworks
• pollution
• guangzhou
• guiyu
• hong
• kong
• shenzhen
• taipai

[retroworks1]

A report was was just released in 2011 showing how the dumping of e-waste in Ghana was exaggerated, and most of the imports are accounted for by good people like those in this video. WR3A.org is a very good idea.

[CohanDigitmatta]

that's not recycling.

it's just channeling an externality to a country that has a lesser ability to actually RECYCLE down the track when the machine's life ends.

[retroworks1]

What Souley trying to do is to buy monitors for 20% of the price which have 80% of the useful life remaining. A new computer would end of life 3-5 years later. Is it better that they spend 100% for a monitor that lasts 20% longer? If Souley, the importer, is really doing harm, what is the alternative? Perhaps Souley should really stay in the banana fields or pick coffee beans?

Cohandigimatta, when you bought your first monitor, was there a recycling system in place for it?

[retroworks1]

The recycling occurs in Vermont. That is the point, you don't send export the "recycling", only products, but recognizing their ability to repair.

[JosephDThomay]

lol thats not recycling thats just building computers out of used parts.

Every one can do that.

[retroworks1]

The recycling occurs in Vermont. That's the point, you don't export that part.

[greenmountainsilks]

This form of recycling, repair and reuse provides training, eduction and employment opportunities in developing countries, keeping a few people out of burning scrap parts.These buyers are able to document with proof responsible recycling with parts that they cannot use.

[lowrytaylor]

This is a great step towards "closing the digital divide". The digital divide is global and real. In Africa, less than 7% of the people are on the internet, so what some see as "no big deal", this is large scale, to others.

[6679891]

This is a bunch of bs. Who conducted this, some stupid college grad yikes...

[727Hushkits]

at 5:49 there is a Compaq deskpro EN series. I had one of those got it in 2001 but replaced it with an upgraded Dell Dimension 4100 :)

[727Hushkits]

You are kidding right? i mean the Dell Optiplex GX-240-260 range isnt even very old they are Pentium 4's it was only replaced a couple of years ago. and can you still find beige Dell's and Compaq's i thought those ones were long gone.

[20GdimaG20]

Hey, I have question.

How can you find buyers like those guys from South America?

are there any special websites?

[hwertz]

Replying to my own post, I'm glad this recycler is responsible enough to send on working hardware to Africa instead of junk. The machines shown in the video are nice (especially if you run Ubuntu Linux instead of letting Windows bog them down.)

[hwertz]

At the surplus I work at (in the US), I *WISH* we had 80% or 60% of the laptops work. For us, it's like 10%. Maybe. (Desktops mostly work though). Other than the prevalence of CRTs (we get more LCDs), the machines in this video look just the same age as the ones we end up selling -- Optiplex GX240-260 range, slightly older "beige" Dells, some Compaqs, Gateways, etc.

[sloppy1212]

riviting video, I just couldnt sit still. it had me on the end of my seat

[jasonmailley]

I am personally in charge of a computer schooling project in El Salvador. We try to teach kids, teachers and the general population before spreading computer sales to people who would`nt know how to use it.