This month, the UK is moving to change its laws to stop the export of used televisions. You know, the used TVs which make up 70% of sales in African markets, which created about 7 million households with TV in Nigeria. And the CRT computer monitors, which Africans used to set up the internet cafes which led to the Egyptian Spring.
In about 10 days, new regulations will come into force to explain the 2009 arrest of an African, Joe Benson, who sold the TVs before the laws were changed. You could call it "tying up a loose end".
But there's another loose end to attend to. Last month,
Basel Action Network publicly disavowed the "80% Export" statistic in response to a Bloomberg editorial (Adam Minter). Also, BAN Executive Director Jim Puckett applauded this UNEP study.
"The majority of refurbished products stem from imports via the ports of Lagos. The interim results from project component 2, the Nigerian e-Waste Country Assessment, show that 70% of all the imported used equipment is functional and is sold to consumers after testing. 70% of the non-functional share can be repaired within the major markets and is also sold to consumers. 9% of the total imports of used equipment is non-repairable and is directly passed on to collectors and recyclers."
- Final report of the UNEP SBC, E-waste Africa Project, Lagos & Freiburg, June 2011
Here's another quote from the Nigeria E-Waste Assessment Study:
"Refurbishing of EEE and the sales of used EEE is an important economic sector (e.g. Alaba market in Lagos). It is a well-organized and a dynamic sector that holds the potential for further industrial development. Indirectly, the sector has another important economic role, as it supplies low and middle income households with affordable ICT equipment and other EEE. In the view of the sector’s positive socio-economic performance, all policy measures aiming to improve e-waste management in Nigeria should refrain from undifferentiated banning of second-hand imports and refurbishing activities and strive for a co-operative approach by including the market and sector associations."
Sounds a lot like "Fair Trade Recycling". So how does BAN balance the UN Study, showing 91% reuse, recommending AGAINST laws like CAER's Green-Thompson bill, with its applause for the crackdown by Interpol and Europe on exporters like
"Hurricane" Joseph Benson of BJ Electronics?
First, embrace the study. Second, take credit.
Quotes from Jim Puckett:
"I am very satisfied with the quality of the UNEP studies. I know well the authors and have worked with them and discussed findings with them. These studies were funded due to our film Digital Dump which was shown at the Basel meeting whereafter the EU donated 1 million Euros to assist Africa in solving the e-waste crisis.
"Nigeria was faced with a very serious abusive importation scene when we first arrived in 2005. They took the appropriate action and Nigeria is one of the great success stories of addressing the e-waste crisis. In China it has worsened, in Nigeria, they have really exercised control over the egregious toxic e-waste trade impacting their environment. "
This is Jim Puckett's spin on the UNEP study, which took 279 sea containers in Nigeria (104 of which came from Joseph Benson's adapted country, the United Kingdom). The researchers pieced all the TVs out, and found 91% reuse rate. He tries (in the second quote) to take credit for the turnaround.
In fact, BAN was very, very busy in 2009 and 2010, the period when the 91% reuse was documented in the UNEP study.
Here is a
report from the University of Northhampton (UK) which uses BAN as a source, stating only 25% of what Nigerian techs imported could be fixed or reused - complete with photos by master photographer Jim Puckett himself. What a terrific turnaround it is, from only 25% reuse to 91%.
Here is the famous 2009 Interpol report, which uses the same (or similar, they never seem to be exactly the same) statistics from BAN's "study" on the percentage of waste in African used electronics exports. Did Puckett notify Interpol that it was actually much better in 2009? No. BAN issued a press release, referring to the Africans as "Organized Crime". And the source of Interpol's data on the extent of the dumping - MSU - cites who else? BAN, their report that 80% of exports of CRTs are for primitive recycling.
More from 2009 and 2010: The smoking guns
