Electronic Waste Management and Treatment

There is no uniform definition of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). With reference from European Commission defines, the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which had reached its end of life, covers all components, subassemblies and consumables which are part of the product at the time of discarding. The other definition of Electronic waste or E-waste is “a term used to cover items of all types of EEE and its part that have been discarded by the owner as waster without intention of

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

As used electronics is becoming a waster hazard worldwide local governments such as where I live include programs at local waste stations purely for electronics. This encourages local residents to freely drop off their electronic waste, like TV’s and computers and mobile phones to these locations where the waste is sorted and than shipped to facilities that can process this waste appropriately which also includes recycling as much material as possible. This has a

It has become the new “norm” with people to replace their electronics because their devices become out of date or they feel like they have to have the latest thing. In the article “Our E-Waste Problem Is Ridiculous, And Gadget Makers Aren’t Helping,” by Christina Bonnington, the author discusses how people buy new electronics every year when they come out and the old ones get abandoned. She also talks about how many people aren’t properly recycling their old devices and how some electronics can be impossible to recycle the right way. She also talks

Alex Lin was one teen activist who saw a problem in e-waste.He was reading an article from the wall street journal, and he saw that there was an e-waste tsunami to come. In the article, it said that Americans discarded more than 112,000 computers daily, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.Even worse, just 18 percent of discarded televisions and computer products were collected for recycling.To stop this he created team W.I.N, {Westerly Innovations Network}.He worked with Metech International to hold a recycling program for e-waste and they collected 21,000 pounds of E-Waste.Then his team saw that it was easier to refurbish the electronics than to recycle them.He worked with his school district to put refurbishing

Every year people in the U.S create about 660 million pounds of tech trash. Tech trash can pollute the environment because electronics can have dangerous chemicals like lead and the chemicals could leak into a river and pollute the water. How do we stop this? One way is to use electronics as long as you can. Also you can donate electronics to a charity or a neighbor. Another way is to look for a certified e-waste to recycle your electronics.

While being too focused on new, bright and shiny technological innovations, a lot of people don’t think about where their old obsolete technology goes or how it affects the environment. Electronic waste (E-waste) “...comprises electrical appliances such as fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, and fluorescent light bulbs; and electronic products such as computers and accessories, mobile phones, television sets and stereo equipment” (Lundgren). Recycling electronic waste is expensive, so many developing countries receive E-waste from other countries (often times illegally) to extract valuable materials from the electronics to be used for the country’s benefit. Although the country recycling this waste benefits from an economical standpoint, the environmental and health standpoint isn’t so lucky. “...rudimentary recycling techniques coupled with the amounts of e-waste processed have already resulted in adverse environmental and human health impacts, including contaminated soil and surface water” (Lundgren). With an extreme lack in any sort of safety regulations, poor workers are taken advantage of and suffer the most because “...workers and communities are exposed to many highly toxic chemicals" (Marko) and it’s all because Americans don’t want to spend the money or take the time to properly recycle these products. The

I know that a lot goes into making my computer, but I didn’t know what happened to those materials when I was done with it. By browsing Dell’s website I learned about the vast disposal options for a customer that help minimize “e-waste.” One can contribute their electronics to a Goodwill, mail-back the computer to Dell, trade in the electronic for a Dell Gift Card, or donate the used technology to local non-profits and schools. It is interesting to learn of all the different ways you can positively dispose of old electronics in a way that they can be reused, or even benefit you and your

Techno trash (or e-waste) is one of the negative impacts of new technology. It is the rubbish created by discarded electronics. Developed countries such as the U.S export 50% to 80% of their techno trash to poorer Asian countries. The discarded technology is processed by workers who do not have the right equipment to handle and safely recycle these tech materials. This puts the workers and community to high levels of toxic materials, which could turn towns and the surrounding area into contaminated dumps. The e-waste that isn’t transported to Asia ends up in local landfills and poses risks to the surrounding environment and communities. Technology is made up of a mixture of dangerous chemicals. The toxic chemicals can cause serious damage to the environment. Some of these chemicals include beryllium, cadmium, lead and

Developing countries have made harmful contributions to our environment. Each year, 20-50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed. The largest e-waste

Ontario Electronic Stewardship is a non-profit organization that operates the operates the regulated recycling program in Ontario in order to ensure the electronics are disposed in a secure and environmentally-sound manner. Most of the work in collecting, sorting and material recovery takes place right here in Ontario. End of life electronics are dropped off at 1000 EPRA collection sites across the country, including drop-off centers, returned retailer locations and special collection events. Once collected, items are shipped to a facility where they are inspected and weighed. Then they are sent to an approved processor for manual dismantling and/or mechanical processing. New technology is used to break down old technology

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.

Unfortunately, the EPA estimates that only 10 percent of e-waste is recycled annually. Even more upsetting, though, are the conditions in which some of these materials are recycled. While some firms operate under strict environmental regulations with adequate protocols to protect workers' health, many do not.