The owners of Total Reclaim, a large electronic waste recycling firm in the Northwest, have been sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for wire fraud conspiracy. Craig Lorch of Seattle and Jeff Zirkle of Bonney Lake pleaded guilty in November to misleading customers when they said the waste was being handled in an environmentally safe manner. Instead, a judge says, they put foreign workers at risk. Total Reclaim was a big participant in the E-Cycle Washington program, which allowed people to drop off used electronics at places like Goodwill Industries with the understanding the products would be recycled responsibly.
But, according to court records, the company secretly shipped millions of pounds of hazardous e-waste products to Hong Kong. Workers there dismantled flat screen televisions and other electronics containing mercury without any safety precautions. Prosecutors in the case pointed out that mercury can cause organ damage, mental impairment and other serious health consequences.
Both the City of Seattle and University of Washington were customers of Total Reclaim. The company promoted itself as a responsible recycler of e-waste. Its website claims "our commitment to environmental responsibility is at the core of everything Total Reclaim does."
In handing down a 28-month prison sentence for Lorch and Zirkle, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones told the men their conduct could have impacted generations with mercury poisoning. The men also will have to pay $945,663 in restitution.
