Think e-waste is bad? Try an a-waste ban




By Robin Ingenthron | American Retroworks Inc.


Jan. 23 -- Thanks to exploitative work and photos of the Basel Action Network, Congress is considering banning the export of used computers to 83% of the world. It might not seem like folly, especially if you´ve seen those photos of Third World children burning wires. But the silliness is apparent if you look at things another way: What if Congress restricted the sale of another "dangerous" waste stream: "a-waste"? Let´s consider the idiocy à

The most toxic product Americans own in their lifetime is the automobile. It is filled with flammables, carcinogens, e-waste, inhalants and pollutants, and it´s capable of violent safety violations.

Automobiles don´t last forever, and Americans, especially the wealthiest 20%, enjoy buying new automobiles. We spend billions getting the latest cars. But what happens to the automobiles affluent people discard, the wealthy people´s "a-waste"?

The used-car dealerships and junk-car lots are never found on Fifth Avenue. Used cars are often passed along to less wealthy people, with all their toxins along for the ride. Whenever you buy a new car to replace your old car, you are complicit in exploitation and environmental crime.

Watchdog groups indicate that 80% of used car sales go to people with less money than the original owners. áAll the headaches of those discarded cars inevitably flow to people with less means to deal with the toxic tons of deadly waste.

A list of pollutants linked to a-waste include antifreeze, gasoline, motor oil and wiper fluid. They all may be dumped into streams by poor do-it-yourselfers. Toxins found in rivers come from used cars, and pollutants from cars are proven to be bad. Used car sales must be stopped!

House Resolution 2284½* offers a solution. The government will prohibit the transfer of used cars from rich neighborhoods to less affluent neighborhoods. The richest 20% of Americans should only be allowed to sell to one another.

It is a victory for affluent Americans who don´t want the hassle of selling their used car at dealerships or through Craigslist. Finally, you can be certain that when you buy a new car, your old one will not be sold, worked on or used again by someone less wealthy. (The rich, after all, have more education and the knowledge to do preventative maintenance and repair – skills that cannot realistically be entrusted to America´s underclass.)

According to self-proclaimed environmentalist watchdogs, here are the benefits we see when rich U.S. neighborhoods are stopped from transferring a-waste to poor U.S. neighborhoods:

ò The end of exploitation of mechanics and student drivers in poor and middle class U.S. cities.

ò Only fully functional, tested cars will be sold to repair shops, closing a loophole that allows junk cars to move from rich to poor.

n Massive shredders will valiantly stop used car parts from entering the marketplace.á

ò Eliminating the billions of dollars in car repair and resale will create jobs -- running cars through shredding machines!á

ò New automobile makers will applaud H.R. 2284½. Finally, the working poor can leapfrog the used-car market, landing safely in a modern sedan.

Banning the export and trade of used cars between rich and poor is a solution whose time has come. Let the working class buy and repair cars from their own neighborhoods. Support H.R. 2284½.

* Not a real piece of legislation. But HR 2284, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act, is an actual piece of legislation, which would restrict the U.S. from selling used electronics to 83% of the world.

Robin Ingenthron is CEO of American Retroworks Inc. and president of the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association, a nonprofit trade association.

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