ERI CEO Calls Mishandled E-Waste a Threat to National Security, Cites Medium.com Article
March 03 2015 - 3:18PM
Business Wire
Citing a current Medium.com article on the problems improperly
recycled e-waste can cause for military institutions, John
Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International
(ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste, has
issued a public statement describing the looming threat that
mismanaged e-waste has on our national security.
The article, “We Threw Military Electronics in the Trash – China
Sold them Back to Us: How E-waste Compromises American War Tech,”
by Andrew Dobbs, which Shegerian calls “an important article,”
appears in the War is Boring column of www.medium.com and is
available online. It details the evolution of the mounting
threat of cybertheft caused by storing private data and information
on electronic devices.
The article explains that exporting e-waste to nations such as
China not only poses environmental and health threats, it also
drives a thriving industry in counterfeit electronics components,
which are often sold right back to Americans – and that many of
these components contain digital data stored by the original users.
Also, the counterfeit devices made from the original devices can
often make their way to poorly managed factories, where they are
sanded or put through an acid wash to remove part numbers and then
re-coated in a process known as ‘blacktopping’ to hide identifying
product information.
“This Medium.com article is excellent and important reading,”
said Shegerian, “because it outlines, using real world examples,
the serious problem of our unwanted electronics making their way
overseas. To think that you or I, or our businesses, or our
government and military, could be purchasing electronic equipment
containing counterfeit elements derived from pirated e-waste is
pretty frightening.”
“With current technological innovations, there is very fast
turnover when it comes to computers, laptops and other electronic
devices,” Shegerian added. “Properly recycling all old and unwanted
items – military or otherwise, here in the United States, is
crucially important for so many reasons. Our digital security,
our environment and the reliability of the new devices we purchase
– all rest in the balance of us recycling the right way.”
For more information on general recycling needs, visit
www.electronicrecyclers.com, http://1800recycling.com,
http://greenisgoodradio.com or www.urbanmining.org.
Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the world’s largest
privately held recycler of electronic waste, is e-Stewards and
R2 certified to de-manufacture and recycle every type of electronic
waste in an environmentally friendly manner. ERI processes
more than 275 million pounds of electronic waste annually at eight
locations serving every zip code in the United States. For
more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call
1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit www.electronicrecyclers.com.
Electronic Recyclers InternationalPaul Williams,
310/569-0023paul.williams@electronicrecyclers.com.