Who is Using Prison Labor for Recycling?
Our federal government is the biggest customer of prison recycling, as well as the owner of most of the plants. UNICOR is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Federal Prison Industries, which is part of the US Department of Justice. There are UNICOR e-waste recycling facilities in the federal prisons in: Atwater, CA; Elkton, Ohio; Ft Dix, NJ; Leavenworth, KS; Lewisburg, PA; Texarkana, TX; Tucson, AZ. UNICOR prisons pay inmate “workers” from $0.23 to $1.15 per hour, with no benefits. Commercial recyclers paying payroll taxes, benefits and real wages can’t compete and are therefore undercut by this government program. UNICOR facilities have serious health and safety problems, and are currently under investigation by the federal Inspector General’s office, after an employee whistleblower filed a complaint. >>More info on the problem with prison recycling.
