Palestinians turn e-waste into reusable metals

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This treatment facility recycles e-waste

LOCATION: Idna, West Bank

Up to 550 tons of electronic waste

is received by the facility every day

The salvaged copper, aluminum and iron

is then returned to scrap dealers to sell

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SUPERVISOR OF THE EUROPEAN-PALESTINIAN CENTRE FOR E-WASTE TREATMENT, MAZEN SULAIMIYA, SAYING: "First of all, we don't sell products. We are a cooperative organization, which was established to reduce the burning of e-waste in the area. We don't sell or buy, we only treat it. We do not care about the price of the e-waste we get, both its price in the market or whether it is tied to the global stock market. We only get the waste and recycle it, and people sell the (recycled) product to various areas."

The facility hopes to minimize health and environmental risks

Before it opened, e-waste was burned in the Idna caves

causing grave damage to the important archaeological site