<nettime> High tech trash

[Steve Cisler <cisler@pobox.com>]

On Wednesday, February 12, 2003, at 07:48  AM, Announcer wrote:

> From: Ryan Griffis <grifray@yahoo.com>
> Subject: high tech trash and "developing nations"
>
> http://cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/environ/hitech_trash/
> a story from last October by the CBC on the
> transplantation of Computer waste to "poor" countries,
> and the environmental/human effects.

I just returned from three weeks in Uganda where I was assessing a high 
tech project involving nicely outfitted computer labs with new gear, 
wireless Internet connection, etc. in teacher training colleges around 
the country. A brief note on the Internet in Uganda is here: 
glocal.crimsonblog.com.

Other groups import used PCs by the container load, and as is the case 
here in Silicon Valley they all become trash eventually.  However, the 
problems of the towns in China that actually strip boards and cables 
(water pollution, skin disorders, birth defects) are not evident in 
places like Uganda.

Another thing I learned: the main U.S. export to Africa is used 
clothes, and there is a giant network of importers and a bigger one of 
re-sellers in most towns.  I walked around the main market and waded 
through hundreds stalls selling just shoes, and another section for 
women's clothes, and so on.  It was an amazing trip, all in all. Report 
to follow.

Steve Cisler

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