In a new wave of trouble for Apple, the Cupertino-based tech giant has been fined $450,000 (nearly 3 Crore INR). The fine was levied by the California Environmental Protection Agency for “improperly dealing with their e-waste” at facilities in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
As reported by AppleInsider:
“In Cupertino, Apple allegedly operated an e-waste shredding facility between 2011 and 2012 without informing regulators, also mishandling metal dust from the facility. The complex took in 1.1 million pounds of waste before being closed. Apple further failed to report and track waste exports, regulators said, or mark used oil containers as hazardous.”
Apple has agreed to pay the fine without contesting it — which stinks of guilt all over. It has also increased surveillance of other dump sites.
In an official statement, Apple said:
“This matter involves an oversight in filing paperwork to close one of our recycling facilities as part of our expansion to a larger site,” Apple spokeswoman Alisha Johnson told Reuters in an emailed statement.” (Source)
Why This Is a Bigger Problem for Apple
This is not just a legal issue but also a moral one because Apple has been very vocal about being a “green company.” Every product launch has that one final slide showing off how their products are in compliance with the leading environmental laws.
They also proudly make this claim:
“No e-waste from Apple’s U.S. recycling program is shipped outside North America. All recovered materials are processed domestically, with the exception of some commodity materials that can be recycled for future use.” (Source)
The Problem of Tomorrow
e-Waste has been on the rise since the IT revolution that took place towards the end of last century. Just like pollution from the industrial revolution, this too has been labelled “an inevitable byproduct of development.” However, there’s no denying that e-waste is one of the worst outcomes of the tech-world. And while it may not be as big an issue as global warming or terrorism right now, it’s definitely the problem of tomorrow.
With the tech industry set to overtake manufacturing as the world’s biggest industry, we can only expect the problem to compound. Therefore, we hope Apple innovates here as well and comes up with a unique solution to dispose off of their e-waste.
