Study Says CBS 60 Minutes, BAN, Wrong on E-Waste Exports

Another factual study, another blow to the E-Waste Hoax.   Basel Action Network has already admitted they made the statistic up, that 80% of used TVs etc. are exported for dumping.  It was never economically possible (see Monkeys Running the Environmental Zoo), it was not supported by BAN's own study (Kenya 2006), USITC and UNEP studies in Africa found it bogus. The "kids at dumps" are best explained by the cities, like Lagos... 6.9 Million households with TV in 2007.  China throws away far more, and exports used CRTs to South America and Africa.

Now yet another very long and arduous study (to read that is) has come out, from MIT, NCER and StEP.

Quantitative Characterization of Domestic and Transboundary Flows of Used Electronics   12/2013


Huabo Duan, T. Reed Miller, Jeremy Gregory, Randolph Kirchain 

"The results show that approximately 258.2 million units of used electronic were generated and 171.4 million units were collected in the US in 2010. Export flows were estimated to be 14.4 million units, which is 8.5% of the collected estimate on average. On a weight basis, 1.6 million tons of used electronics were generated in the US in 2010 and 0.9 million tons were collected. Of the amount collected, 26.5 thousand tons were exported, which is 3.1% of the weight collected." 

- Conclusion

Once again, the facts say that exporters WERE PROBABLY INNOCENT. The methodology by Interpol's young Emile Lindemulder, in the infamous 2009 "Matrix" Report is prima facia silliness.  "The Africans PAY for the TVs and the Shipping, payment shows organization, and since 80% is criminal dumping, it's organize + crime = ORGANIZED CRIME!"   Along with the "Away is a Place" halloween language by Jim Puckett, the anti-ewaste-export hoax has been blown out of the water by the MIT study.

It's a late footnote to the "Bullyboy" series of blogs.  What in the heck is "E-Steward" besides a whites only country club?   If 80% of recyclers were indeed primitive dumpers, the badge had meaning.  Now all we have are people organized to beat an old war drum about "e-waste" exports, with no habeus corpus, no crime to speak of, except that anything above zero is suspect.  It's easier to do a DNA test than an export certification.  CBS 60 Minutes created this mess, and won't go back to correct it.



The MITreport is never actually states that Basel Action Network is guilty of organizing a lynch mob.  The report doesn't say that CAER is making up numbers in its testimony about the need for export bans.  It's frustrating that researchers keep coming up with the same facts, but won't actually deliver the punchline.  Basel Action Network does not know what it is talking about, and makes it up as they go along.

Lynching of Laura Nelson and her son 2.jpg

The export trade isn't perfect, but it's made less so by hobbling legitimate demand with prohibitions and underground supply chains.   But this is yet another major study showing that the burden of proof, the proof of dumping #wastecrime, needs to shift.   The people who already admit to concocting the previous numbers need to apologize to overseas factories and television repairpeople.

It's a fine study.

It's based on lots of data.

It's written and published and reviewed by non-Africans.

Maybe now someone will listen to the accused.   Again, here's the voice of the man accused of being the largest exporter of e-waste from London, whose exports were seized in Lagos, and painstakingly sorted.  279 containers showed 91% good, reuse equipment.