The Ignorance of E-Waste

Waste is an important topic when going over the subject of sustainability. There are many types of waste such as food waste, business waste, and e-waste. This post will focus on e-waste. E-waste is the discarding of electronics or technology. Examples include old cell phones, computers, televisions, hair dryers, etc. People get excited about buying the new and the latest technology that comes to market. What nobody focuses on is what happens with the electronic waste once they are done with it. In addition, there are ways the population can be more sustainable discarding their wasted technology.

A good place to start is the reality of the situation. Recycling the e-waste does not always do the trick. Various activities happen to the e-waste that prevents sustainability. According to a NPR article ( http://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132204954/after-dump-what-happens-to-electronic-waste), ), eighty percent of the recycled e-waste is shipped to another country such as China, India, Pakistan, and others. Once there "dirty things happen to it." Some recycling centers attempt to sell these electronics products. The issue with this is the process is toxic for the environment. There are no regulations for the workers who partake in the process. They are usually not provided with protective equipment and breathe in toxic substances released into the air.

This is upsetting news to the average person looking for the right action to take when dealing with their e-waste. There are solutions to this issue. One is, to reduce the amount of technology you buy. be honest, and ask yourself if you really need the newest and the latest. If you can buy the new and latest IPhone every other year instead of yearly, it will help. In addition, donate your e-waste to somebody who can use it. Just because you are done with it does not mean it has no value to another person. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Examples of possible places to donate are non-profit organizations or educational institutions. If you do decide to recycle, find out more information about how they run their processes to ensure the e-waste is being disposed ethically. More in depth information on the issue of e-waste and solutions to the problem click on the following link, http://www.scgh.com/featured/e-cycling/.

We can all take part in reducing e-waste making our environment more sustainable. Remember, one sustainable day at a time will make a difference.

The Show "60 Minutes" Talks About E-Waste