News

One of India's relatively small PC manufacturing companies, Wipro, has beaten giants like Dell, Samsung and Lenovo to the finish line in producing a computer free of the worst toxic chemicals.

A major first in India, the announcement marks another success for our green electronics campaign in driving tech companies around the world to clean up their products.

Developing countries face increasing environmental and health hazards from electronic waste unless toxic materials are collected and recycled properly, according to a United Nations report released Monday. The report highlights the problem of recycling and salvaging procedures in poorer countries, often in unsafe conditions by unregulated operators.

As more people replace their old televisions with flat-panel screens, a toxic-waste watchdog is warning that many e-waste recyclers are still illegally shipping old TVs to developing nations.

"We predicted a tsunami of [cathode ray] TVs and it's unfortunately turning out to be true," said Jim Puckett, executive director of the Seattle-based Basel Action Network, which advocates for proper disposal of the mountains of e-waste produced every year.

South African businesses came under increasing pressure to treat sustainability as a business imperative last year. It was prompted by a mix of fiscal interventions, tighter pollution laws and inspections, higher energy prices, a new corporate governance code and a global focus on climate change. In the last budget delivered by former finance minister Trevor Manuel in February, environmental taxes were either introduced or increased. he measures were expected to bring additional green revenue of about R7.8 billion to the fiscus in the year.

Electronic Waste, or "E-Waste," generated by computers, TVs, cameras, printers, and cell phones, is a growing global issue.

Through the International E-Waste Design Competition, participants will explore solutions to this problem at the local level and beyond.

The spirit of this competition is to prompt the industrialized world to dialogue about product designs for environmentally responsible green computing and entertainment.

Apple, Sony Ericsson and Nokia lead the way for product ranges free of the worst hazardous substances with HP following their lead. HP just released the Compaq 8000f Elite business desktop, its first completely PVC and BFR free product, at CES 2010. Meanwhile Samsung, Dell, Lenovo and LG Electronics (LGE) pick up penalty points in the Guide for failing to follow through on a promised phase-out of toxics in their products.

The use of waste or alternative fuels and resources (AFRs) is beginning to emerge as a possible substitute for traditional fuel, such as coal, in the local cement industry. The practice of burning waste in cement kilns has been taking place in Europe for 35 years.

Starting next fiscal, consumers in India will be no more required to bother about managing their electronic and electrical equipment at the end of the lifecycle. The Centre is in the process of bringing out a legislation based on the draft proposals submitted by industry bodies and green campaigners including Greenpeace, which, for the first time will make the producers (manufacturers) responsible for the management of electronic waste (e-waste).

According to the Bible, God rained down fire and brimstone to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Sodom and Gomorrah" is also what officials in Accra, Ghana, have come to call a part of their city plagued by toxins of a sort the residents of the Biblical cities couldn't even have imagined. No one sets foot in this place unless they absolutely have to.