Cell phones, Computers, TVs and other electronics are a part of everyday life for the world today. New devices are being introduced to the world every few months and this has been the trend for many years now. Electronic waste or E-waste is produced when older devices are thrown out. The U.S produces about 3 million tons of E-waste which is the most in the world followed up by China which produces about 2.3 million tons. In the U.S only about 15% of electronic waste is recycled. Much of it is shipped to other countries such as China or Africa to be disposed.
The process that is used to dispose of E-Waste in some countries are very primitive and not only causes damage to the environment but is also a sever health risk. In the U.S. there are state of the art facilities designed to cleanly take care of e-waste however in other countries that don’t posses developed E-waste management usually use open air burning or acid baths to extract a few precious materials. This is an extremely dangerous process because e-waste contains many toxic materials.
“Electronic waste isn’t just waste, it contains some very toxic substances, such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, beryllium and brominated flame retardants. When the latter are burned at low temperatures they create additional toxins, such as halogenated dioxins and furans – some of the most toxic substances known to humankind. ” -E-Stewards.org
Just because u toss your old devices into a recycle bin doesn’t mean it actually ends up in a facility where it is 100% recycled in a clean and environment friendly manner. The E-waste epidemic is growing with the worlds need for the newest and most advanced devices.
I always think once I put the electric devices to the recycle, it will be recycle..But after reading your article, I found out it will not…I hope scientists can solve the e-waste problem as soon as possible in order to protect our environment.
This is a very interesting topic that needs more attention. Awareness about e waste should be spread.