[OKRA] First Criminal Charges Brought Against e-Waste Exporter

Sat Sep 17 07:40:30 PDT 2011

From: Basel Action Network [mailto:inform at ban.org] 
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 10:44 PM
To: recycle at naturalevolution.com
Subject: First Criminal Charges Brought Against e-Waste Exporter

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Federal Criminal Charges Brought Against 
Recycler for Exporting Toxic e-Waste

Global Dumping Exposed by Environmentalists and CBS's 60 Minutes

Denver, CO, September 16, 2011 --  After 30 months of investigations, the
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI) and EPA Criminal Investigation Division handed down
multiple criminal charges today against two executives of Executive
Recycling Inc., a Denver, Colorado electronics recycling firm.  The
government first became aware of the alleged violations following an
investigation by the Basel Action Network (BAN), a Seattle based
organization dedicated to combating toxic trade.  The investigation became
highly publicized after BAN worked with CBS's 60 Minutes news magazine in an
episode entitled "The Wasteland."  It is the first instance that criminal
charges have been brought against an e-waste exporter. 

In 2007 and 2008, BAN volunteers photographed 21 sea-going containers at
Executive Recycling's loading docks that they subsequently tracked across
the world, with most ending up in China.  BAN then alerted the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) and 60 Minutes, and together the groups
documented US businesses posing as responsible electronics recyclers but who
instead were simply shipping e-waste to developing countries where it was
processed in deadly, highly polluting operations.  The resulting 60 Minutes
episode has since become one of the most popular and award winning in the
program's history.

"This is a major victory for global environmental justice," said BAN
Executive Director Jim Puckett.   "Even before we have a US law in place to
explicitly prohibit this dumping on developing countries, the US
government's criminal justice system has recognized the massive toxic trade
we first discovered in 2001 as fraudulent, as smuggling, and as an
environmental crime.  Now these sham recyclers are warned: their shameful
practices can land them in jail."

Currently, legislation has been proposed in both the US House of
Representatives and the Senate to prohibit the export of toxic electronic
waste to developing countries.   Such an export prohibition already exists
in Europe.   The US has been behind in enacting such rules, and in 2008, the
U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) was highly critical of the EPA and
uncontrolled e-waste exports in a strongly worded report.   EPA enforcers
themselves have lamented that the US lacks clear laws to combat the global
e-waste dumping practice. 

According to the federal grand jury indictment, Executive Recycling was
responsible for at least 300 exports, including shipments of more than
100,000 toxic cathode ray tubes that netted the company $1.8 million.
Executive's CEO, Mr. Brandon Richter, together with Mr. Tor Olson, Vice
President of Operations, were indicted on 16 separate counts including wire
and mail fraud, environmental crimes, exportation contrary to law, and
destruction, alteration, or falsification of records.

Executive Recycling still operates in the Denver area and has had e-waste
recycling contracts with the cities of Denver, Boulder, and Broomfield and
the El Paso County and Jefferson County governments.  It is registered with
the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a "Large
Quantity Handler of Universal Waste." 

"Sadly, Executive Recycling is just the tip of the e-waste iceberg," said
Puckett. "They are but one of hundreds of fake recyclers who sell greenness
and responsibility but in fact practice global dumping.  This is why we must
pass federal legislation prohibiting this activity.  And this is why all
those disposing of electronic waste should use only Certified e-StewardsR
Recyclers who will not export your old toxic computer or TV to a developing
country." 

For more information contact:  

Jim Puckett, Executive Director, BAN.  Phone: 206.354.0391, e-mail:
jpuckett at ban.org

For a copy of the indictment: www.ban.org/Library/Executive_Indictment.pdf
<http://e2ma.net/go/7203345041/208673029/224711876/1400891/goto:http:/www.ba
n.org/Library/Executive_Indictment.pdf> 

To view CBS's 60 Minutes Episode, The Wasteland:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n
<http://e2ma.net/go/7203345041/208673029/224711877/1400891/goto:http:/www.cb
snews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n>
<http://e2ma.net/go/7203345041/208673029/224711878/1400891/goto:http:/www.cb
snews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n> 

For a copy of the GAO report: http://ban.org/library/gao_report.pdf
<http://e2ma.net/go/7203345041/208673029/224711879/1400891/goto:http:/ban.or
g/library/gao_report.pdf> 

For more about e-Stewards Certified Recyclers visit: www.e-Stewards.org
<http://e2ma.net/go/7203345041/208673029/224711880/1400891/goto:http:/www.e-
Stewards.org> 

206 1st Ave South Suite 410 | Seattle, WA 98104 US

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