E-waste environmental impact and the need for Federal laws
Joe A Cox AMU
12/23/15
ABSTRACT
The rate at which E-waste is compiling in our nations landfills is unsustainable. The toxic materials contained in these products have the potential to destroy the environment and taint our food and water supply. A review of several state laws revealed a patchwork incapable of mitigating the negative ecological and health effects of the tons of E-waste being dumped annually. The only logical answer to the nation’s E-waste problem is strong federal legislation that is enforced nationwide, combined with incentive aimed at getting consumers to recycle E-waste products.
E-waste Environmental Impact and the Need for Universal Laws
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While we are not all driving flying cars (although some would argue they are close to reality), cell phones are hundreds or thousands of times more advanced are in the hands of most Americans including many children, and they cost less than 1/10th of the first model offered for purchase. Televisions are now staples in many rooms of homes. The author of this document recently purchased a 55” LED TV weighing less than sixty pounds for less than $250.00. Lastly, a good laptop computer can be purchased for under $500.00. As technology advances, manufacturers have created powerful cheap products that many now consider necessities and America has become a throw away nation.
Electronic or E-waste is a growing problem in the United States. Our landfills are becoming cluttered with the waste created when Americans replace their electronics so very often. Part of the reason people discard E-waste in such large numbers are they feel they need the latest model, others blame inferior construction so the products don’t last as long as they used to. No matter the reason for being discarded, E- Waste is a significant problem. It goes beyond the items piling up; as previously mentioned Science has come a long way and we have learned that many of these products are known to contain materials that can cause health and ecological problems when removed from the devices by leaking out into the environment. It is estimated that millions of tons of E-waste are
However, there have been attempts to stop this. The United States is the only industrialized country who does not have an international treaty which makes it illegal to export or traffic toxic e-waste. The idea is to stop dumping e-waste on the world’s poorest, poverty struck nations and to work towards safer waste management within the country. The European Union provides a model for industrial regulation, hoping that the burden of the e-waste would be put on manufacturers instead of the consumers. On the other hand, a more fitting choice would be to begin manufacturing the devices with an end of life plan. As of right now cell phones are designed to make disassembly difficult. Instead, ideas have been proposed to sell the devices with prearranged disposal service or to allow users to exchange their old phone for a new one instead of throwing them away improperly. With the idea in mind that individuals play a role in environmental sustainability, this provides incentive that people would be more interested in trading in their old phones for new ones while saving the earth at the same
Electronics Recycling. Electronic recycling is one consideration the company can do better with. Recycling in general lowers greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing items for the first time. Recycling electronics conserves natural resources making cleaner air and water. The valuable resources computers and electronic components carry are metals, plastics, and glass. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycling a million laptops would give back enough energy for 3500 American homes’ electricity. A million cell phones would could yield 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium. Instead of throwing out the old computers and blackberry’s, the company could simply upgrade the hardware or software and then recycle the parts necessary.
E-waste or electronic waste is the number 1 fastest growing trash in the united states since 2004. E-waste is made up of lead, mercury, , and caldium. All of these Acids are deadly to the human body. Alex lin and many other teen activists work with these acids every day. Also, These activists are trying to stop these deadly acid from seeking into the ground and killing natural resources. These acids can also get into the water systems and harm people. When you get a new electronic you would most likely through it out in the TRASH, but you should recycle old electronics. According to the Electronic recycling 101 article, 3 million tons of electronic are trough out and only 13.6 of them are recycled. This shows that many people are unaware of
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While many people find happiness without many resources, many Americans see objects as a life necessity. According to Anna Quindlen in her OP-ED “Stuff is not Salvation”, Society has started to gear more and more into spending money on something the saw on the TV add rather, than saving for times of trouble. Americans have become so materialistic that a few hours after celebrating Thanksgiving, a holiday about giving thanks for what you have, they go and trample each other at malls over items on sale. Due to this desire of society to own every new gadget, many Americans are creating unnecessary debt for themselves, all of this for useless resources which we don’t even appreciate.
The pursuit of the American Dream has led to trends of high-cost material possessions. High tech digital devices, summer homes, and designer shoes are just some of the few examples of American materialism that is not only present, but also increasing as people purchase these kinds of products to fit in with the continually changing demands of
Eilperin describes the electronic waste, or e-waste as she dubs it, with aplomb. She especially pays attention to how the exportation of electronic waste from the United States to Asian countries affects their communities and environment. In my estimation, like many of the other articles she aims to educate and warn her audience of the danger looming on the horizon if society does not take action. Her audience should come from the article with an idea of how their habits with electronics can damage others half a world away and pose a threat to their environment here at home. This source was found through a search for electronic waste, global and asia on National Newspaper Core.
Have you ever thought, “What do I do with my old iPad that is not working anymore?” We all love playing with the latest electronic gadget, device or computer, but what do you do with the old versions? Most likely you throw them away without even thinking twice about what happens to it. These items are called electronic waste, or e-waste and are causing a lot of problems not just here in the United States but around the world! How do we fix this problem of growing e-waste. Well, thats easy! Recycle them! Recycling Electronics is a big part of this world and trying to save it. The only way to really save the world from this e-waste is to recycle it, and stop putting it in landfills or getting rid of it in some other unhealthy or unsafe way.
The pamphlet "Australia's e-waste a ticking time bomb", distributed by an unnamed environmental organisation, serves as both a warning to its readers as well as a useful informative resource on the topic of 'e-waste' - that is, unused technology that has become landfill. The writer adopts an informative yet cautionary tone in an attempt to show readers the urgency with which the problem needs to be addressed. They contend that Australians should aim not to remove technology from their lives altogether, but to seek out ways to be more sustainable users of it. By appealing to readers' concern for the environment and revealing the risks for their own health, the writer seeks to establish fear and, as a result a desire to reduce their own personal
Article Summary: This article talks about how the hazardous waste regulations are meant to apply to, not only for industrial and manufacturing industries but for any non-household facility generating and managing hazardous waste. It talks about how many people tend to overthink schools and retail stores as places that produce hazardous waste. The article address that some household cleaners, automotive products, and batteries are considered hazardous waste and have to be disposed of properly and mentions that the EPA has began to focus their attentions on the retail sector. The author mentions that they have now come up with a cohesive strategy to ensure that retail stores comply with hazardous waste regulations. It builds upon regulatory efforts
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The phenomenon of discarded electronic or electrical waste has generated worldwide attention and concern as it is a global problem that is getting bigger by the day. This concern is justified due to the effects of environmental pollution that e-waste causes. An estimated 50 million tons of e-waste is produced each year, globally, and this is projected to rise even further. America is the world’s largest producer with
When we throw out our old equipment, old TVs and computers end up in landfills, there are various toxic metals can cause various environmental problems. Yet even recycling the electronic waste, it might not be good to our environment. Have you even thought of how the United States shipping their electronic waste to some developing countries and the problems it may cause? As the United States passed the laws to recycle the electronic wastes, the companies can ship the electronic waste to the so-called recyclers in other countries legally. Recyclers, however, can be the intermediaries only since they can gain a huge profit from just exporting the electronic waste to