LG/Zenith finally clean up their mess in Central Texas
LG Electronics recently settled a more than a decade-long fight over electronic waste dumped by its subsidiary Zenith in a Central Texas landfill. For years, LG/Zenith and Penske Trucking, its transportation partner, refused to safely dispose of hundreds of broken TV tubes that were put in a trash landfill that was not authorized to accept large loads of toxic waste.
The landfill owners, Texas Disposal Systems (TDS), are setting a national example for a landfill that recycles, composts and has hosts hundreds of non-profits fundraisers and parties in an events center downwind of the landfill. TDS did not want to keep the toxic electronic waste in its landfill, even when the state environmental agency was willing to let them do so. They were standing up against an approach that the solution to toxic pollution was dilution in trash landfills.
Finally, LG/Zenith and Penske decided to settle the various lawsuits with TDS and the environmental groups that supported the landfill in its fight. The e-waste is being taken away right now and all of should be disposed of properly by next week!
Although many states still allow households to trash their electronics in landfills, large companies and institutions are supposed to follow federal hazardous waste laws and are not allowed to trash large amounts of hazardous waste. Now that LG has shown some level of responsibility in this glaring case of TV dumping, let's hope that nationwide – or even – global takeback of their products from all of us comes next.
For more information on this Central Texas case see: http://www.texasenvironment.org/news_story.cfm?IID=427
