So Matsushita is recycling "solder".  GREAT!  But what are they doing about
all that SnPb solder in the tons of legacy electronics?

We recently visited the  ECS Refining plant in Santa Clara CA.  In one end go
thousands of Printed Circuit Boards, out the other end  comes out a mountain
of SnPb solder.  The Tin-Lead solder is sent to Fry, etc. for purification
and re-use as electronic solder.  The lead never sees the the environment and
the environment never sees it.  Could it be that we are ahead of Matsushita
in the good old USof A with a closed system, similar to what is done with
battery lead, that makes lead-free completely  UNNECESSARY.  Do you think
that it may be possible that Matsushita will catch up, and save the
electronics industry hundreds of millions of $?  Also, save the environment
from worse contaminants, more difficult to recycle; save the environment from
the need to mine more tin and silver-- needed to replace abundant, cheap lead
that is needed anyway for shielding and batteries, in much, much higher
quantities.

When will Matsushita become rational?  Or is it MITI that is calling the tune?

Harvey Miller

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