Title:
PC Recycler Strikes Gold in Old Computer Chips
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Technology Report.
See text below
Text:
Each year, Americans throw away millions of tons of
electronic devices. That means business is good for
a small electronics recycler in Chantilly,
Virginia.Company President Jeremy Faber established
PC Recycler. He spoke to us from the floor of his
company's processing center. Workers were busy
taking apart televisions, cell phones and computers
-- anything electronic. Jeremy Faber says the flow
of discarded electronics is only increasing. He
says: "Electronics recycling is the fastest growing
waste stream in the United States right now."
Recycling electronic waste is not a single job.
Newer devices can be rebuilt and resold. Breaking
down electronics into small parts for refiners to
melt and purify is another part. Operations Manager
Andrew Portare says computer circuit boards are rich
resources for metals, including gold. Gold now sells
for more than one thousand three hundred dollars an
ounce. Twenty-five percent of PC Recycler's sales
come from selling parts to refiners. Refining
companies pay more than ten dollars a kilogram for
computer boards. PC Recycler can also increase
profits by holding metal-rich parts until prices
rise.Computers also hold private or secret
information. And securing that data is the fastest
growing part of the recycling business. Completely
removing data from a computer hard drive is not
easy. PC Recycler can remove data magnetically or
completely destroy and recycle the drives.Discarding
waste in a way that meets government environmental
protection rules is also important. Old TVs can
contain over a kilogram of lead as well as cadmium
-- both highly poisonous. PC Recycler supports the
Basel Action Network, which seeks to limit harmful
waste and technology. The company says it does not
export electronics to China, India or Africa where
environmental rules are weak.Jeremy Faber says PC
Recycler has been in business since two thousand
three, expanding from waste management to other,
more technical services.For VOA Special English I'm
Alex Villarreal. You can go to voaspecialenglish.com
and click on the Classroom to explore our new
English teaching activities. You can also find us on
Twitter and Facebook at VOA Learning English.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
