Old Electronics » What is E-Waste?
"We're dumping on the rest of the world"- Jim Puckett, founder of Basel Action Network
The Deal
While programs to recycle electronics have been growing in popularity, they, too, can cause environmental harm. When American e-waste is recycled, it is often exported to countries like China, where workers (often children) can become ill by using unsafe, toxic methods to remove reusable parts. Additionally, a number of recycling companies have explicitly broken laws regarding the disposal and export of potentially hazardous electronic waste.
While we’ve yet to see the fundamental, wide-ranging change that is becoming increasingly necessary, Americans have been recycling more and more of their old electronics. But even when it comes to responsible options, some methods are more safe than others, and it is important to ensure that our intent matches our actions.
Facts
- Around 80% of America’s electronics are simply thrown in the garbage, where the hazardous, cancer-causing materials they contain pollute landfills and surrounding areas.
- E-waste is the fastest-growing type of garbage in the US.
- In 2007, the US generated an estimated 3 million tons of e-waste. Of this, only 13% was recycled. The rest was trashed in landfills and incinerators.
- Discarded electronics represent 5 to 6 times as much weight as recycled electronics.
- The Consumer Electronics Association says that U.S. households spend an average of $1,400 annually on an average of 24 electronic items, leading to speculations of millions of tons of valuable metals sitting in desk drawers.
- The U.S. National Safety Council estimates that 75% of all personal computers ever sold are now gathering dust as surplus electronics.
- While some recycle, 70% of cellphone owners still throw away their old cellphones.
