SEATTLE recycler Total Reclaim, which received tax dollars to help clean up toxic electronics in Oregon, has been fined US$500,000 for illegally shipping hazardous electronics overseas, reported Portland's NBC News.
Total Reclaim owners Craig Lorch and Jeff Zirkle also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Seattle in November 2018. The two men could face up to five years in prison.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Department of Justice alleged Total Reclaim Inc falsely certified that it complied with the E-Cycle's programme procedures.
In reality, state investigators charged the company used a broker to illegally ship millions of pounds of electronic waste, like flat screen monitors, to unregulated operations in Hong Kong.
Eco-lobby Basel Action Network (BAN) discovered the export of electronic waste after installing GPS tracking devices in electronics that had been deposited for recycling. The tracking devices showed the monitors, collected by Total Reclaim, were being sent overseas.
State officials said Total Reclaim was responsible for this illegal shipping for nearly seven years while fraudulently billing the E-Cycles programme
WORLD SHIPPING
Total Reclaim owners Craig Lorch and Jeff Zirkle also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Seattle in November 2018. The two men could face up to five years in prison.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Department of Justice alleged Total Reclaim Inc falsely certified that it complied with the E-Cycle's programme procedures.
In reality, state investigators charged the company used a broker to illegally ship millions of pounds of electronic waste, like flat screen monitors, to unregulated operations in Hong Kong.
Eco-lobby Basel Action Network (BAN) discovered the export of electronic waste after installing GPS tracking devices in electronics that had been deposited for recycling. The tracking devices showed the monitors, collected by Total Reclaim, were being sent overseas.
State officials said Total Reclaim was responsible for this illegal shipping for nearly seven years while fraudulently billing the E-Cycles programme
WORLD SHIPPING