Many of us have old phones lying in our drawers or old computers in our closet.  All of us know that we should recycle these, right?  But this Earth Day, be forewarned!  Not all electronics recyclers are what you think. According to a recent study entitled Scam Recycling using GPS trackers conducted by the Basel Action Network (BAN), many so-called electronics recyclers don't actually recycle your electronics -- but simply ship it off to developing countries.  There it is likely to be processed by poorly protected workers engaged in smashing and burning your old equipment in highly polluting "backyard" operations.

Following their 2016 exposé entitled "Scam Recycling" which employed 205 GPS tracking devices placed inside electronic waste to find out what happens to it, the Basel Action Network (BAN) has released the latest findings using GPS tracking in a short 18-page report. Their most recent data reveals 6 more instances of exports to developing countries involving 6 new companies, as well as the City of Houston. Most of these companies make public claims on their websites of never allowing the electronics they process to be exported to developing countries. Further, four of the companies are Certified to R2 which stands for Responsible Recycling.