Have you ever wondered where your old computer or cell phone ended up? Do you remember if you threw it away or actually recycled it?
I dare you to go to Google Images and type "Electronic Waste".
Go ahead and see what you come up with.
You probably found something similar to this:
This was only one example. As you scroll down you continue to see mountains of e-waste that has ended up in China, India, Africa, or some other developing nation. Even with small number of us who actually recycle, many companies secretly ship the toxic waste which in turn creates severely dangerous environments.
I bet you have never heard of Basel Action Network. It is worth looking into and I will give a short description of who they are and what they do. BAN is a non-profit organization whose purpose it to protect the environment from toxic waste. Their goal is to stop a pollution problem many of us have never contemplated. The executive director, Jim Puckett, has actually traveled to many of these places and has made films about the toxic trade issue.
I first heard of this issue in my Environmental Policy class taught by Darrell Downs when he had us watch a documentary called "The Wasteland" by CBS News: 60 Minutes.
This short 13 minute video had all the information I needed to get passionate about learning more on the subject. Our government allows it although they don't want coverage because, as you will see in the video, the methods of recycling, although cheaper, are significantly dangerous to the health of many Chinese in the surrounding area of Guiyu. Point source air and water pollution are the result of burning the appliances which have contaminated the public water so badly that they have to import water. As a health issue, the video mentions many cases of children having too much lead in their bodies and that this specific area has the "highest levels of cancer-causing dioxides in the world", according to scientists who have done research here.
If you have never had a chemistry class, maybe you could have no idea that many plastics are "clorinated" and "brominated". Perhaps you have heard of CFCs and the importance of the stratospheric ozone? Well if not, that is another subject entirely. Just know that the most reactive halogen gases are in fact chlorine monoxide (ClO) and bromine monoxide (BrO), which destroy the ozone (in a "catalyic fashon"), which in turn protects us from the harmful UVC rays. Not only that, but they are among the most toxic compounds known today. This is what is coming from the plastics burnt in this town called Guiyu that Puckett found in China. Guiyu is the Largest E-Waste site on earth. For more info check out eDump.
Poverty vs. Poison
"Desperate people will do desperate things. It's a hell of a choice between poverty and poison. We should never make people make that choice."
- Puckett (BAN)
Guess who was directly affected by this? The poor people. Those who could not afford to feed their families or pay taxes are being misused strictly for the welfare of those with power. Although we can recycle waste here in the U.S., it is easier to give this problem to someone else and pay for cheaper labor costs even if it is illegal to do so. Speaking of illegal, it is not only illegal in the United States, but also China and Hong Kong. Makes sense and yet it is ignored by major leaders and the problem is not going away anytime soon because many materials that make up electronics includes valuable substances such as copper, iron, nickel, gold, etc.
According to Reuters' article called "E-waste to hit developing world hard", the United States is the biggest producer of e-waste (close to 3 million metric tons/yr) with China coming in second place. India's computer waste is expected to increase by 500% from the levels from 2007 all the way to 2020. Other developing countries will find that they cannot recycle enough to match the amount of electronics coming in. Even in recent news, Trafigura was fined for dumping waste in right out in the open of Africa's Ivory Coast. The sad thing to me is that much of the "recycled" stuff is not even in bad condition. With everyone wanting I-Pads, I-Phones, Nooks, better cell phones, flat screen TVs, laptops, etc. no one wants to keep their out of date electronics. I bet many people would appreciate the option to use them if they were donated to a nearby thrift store. The way we live is totally unsustainable and new inventions spur this bad habit on with every new updated version of the things we already have and do not necessarily need. It is easy to say we are "going green", but we may limit it to only certain aspects of our lifestyle.
Electrical waste is illegal, selfishly dealt with, not done efficiently, is extremely harmful, and is piling up.
Read more:
Following The Trail Of Toxic E-Waste
Electronic Waste: Where Does It Go and What Happens To It?
E-Waste: The Dark Side of Technology
Earth Day - Guiyu, China
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