- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Last night's 60 Minutes featured "The Wasteland," a report by correspondent Scott Pelley about the highly illegal export of discarded computers, cell phones and other electronic-age gadgets from America to Hong Kong, where the act of extracting gold and the like from this rubbish has produced one of the most toxic environments on the planet. And Denver is among the stars of the show. Pelley attends an e-recycling event staged here by Executive Recycling, an Englewood-based company whose promises of green behavior helped win it a contract with the City of Denver. However, 60 Minutes disputed its claims of eco-purity by tracking a cargo container filled with cathode-ray tubes from the company's operations base to Hong Kong -- and by noting that the firm was named in a federal sting operation. Hard to imagine the results pleasing Executive Recycling CEO Brandon Richter, who's seen coolly trying to convince Pelley that it's all a big misunderstanding.
See the entire 60 Minutes piece (and an irritating Intel ad) by clicking "More." -- Michael Roberts
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.