Ethical Issues In America

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.

In her essay, “The Story of Stuff: Electronics”, Annie Leonard discusses certain technology manufacturing processes, and the growing ecological problems of technological “e-waste” that they cause.

Jeffrey Sachs is a renowned economic advisor and served in leading positions on many different organizations which focused on promoting a healthier world for all of those who inhabit the earth. Along with his notable achievements as a public figure, he has also authored books and scholarly articles that include A Nation of Vidiots. In this particular writing, Mr. Sachs argues that the citizens of the United States have a serious problem with their use of electronics and that it is a cause for health concerns with the amount of usage the American population has for these devices. Primarily focused on television sets, Mr. Sachs also points out the over usage of other devices and states a quote from Harlan Ellison when saying

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

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.

The article “Our E-Waste Problem is Ridiculous, and Gadget Makers Aren’t Helping” by Christina Bonnington clarifies the damaging effect of dumping electronic fragments into landfills and how recycling is healthier besides the diverse types of companies that are eco-friendly. When customers change to a new phone or get an upgrade 70-80 percent of the ancient phones ends up in landfills. Throughout the years technology has gotten better it has become firmer to disassemble. Next Bonnington Shares the recycling process, and how certain companies determines if it’s worth reselling, if the electronic is not worth reselling it’s shredded so the materials inside can be recycled such as steel, copper, etc. It also can be tough to get this material out

The United States of America is ranked first in the world of the consumer market, this is especially true when it comes to electronic devices such as smart phones. The most popular smartphone on the market is without a doubt the Apple iPhone, this is the very device that completely changed what we as consumers expected when it comes to what our cell phones should be capable of doing for us. This is the phone that created the “smartphone” markets and brought back a very needed and lacking sense of competition into the mobile device market giving consumers options and innovating once again. As consumers continue to purchase the new iterations of this device year after year, we ignore the moral issues that are involved with the manufacturing

The iPad, made by the company Apple Inc., is one of the most popular devices on the market and has been for several years, ever since the first edition came out. A lot of key factors are involved in the production and consumption of the iPad. There are specific materials used to create the iPad that come from specific places and people. Of course, everything produced will eventually be made into waste one day, as well. Waste is another part of the history of iPads. Where does the waste go, and to what degree do iPad’s contribute to e-waste? These processes and questions are to all be talked about in the following paragraphs. As we look into the production and consumption history of iPads, it’s always important to remember that, no matter

The rise of globalization and technology has unquestionably enhanced the lives of millions of individuals in the past three decades, if not longer. Apple and Samsung gadgets, wholesale and bulked dry goods, and trendy retail clothing have made Western lives more enjoyable and have made companies ever more competitive. Without a doubt, the spike in globalization and industrialization has effected every member of the world – either positively or negatively. While some may enjoy rushing through Black Friday sales, there are others on the opposite hemisphere tirelessly working to continue producing the goods that will instantly sell out. It all depends on where you were born, what class you fell into, and luck. However, the perpetuation of the bad luck by someone or some group of people has extended so far as to cause several deaths, as noted in the Joel Johnson’s article, “One Million Workers, 90 Million iPhones, 17 Suicides.” So, in a world of interconnected nations and globalization, who is the person or the group to blame for these deaths? Johnson admits partial responsibility by claiming that although minute, he intentionally hurt these slain workers in a manner as “inevitable and immeasurable as the fluttering silences of our sun. Just a little.” (Johnson, 8) Appealing to fellow iPhone consumers (almost all of the United States), he suggests that all consumers are equally responsible for their unfair treatment

The public opinion on this issue is that while many people have electronic devices, they do not ever think about the consequences that may come if they are not recycled. Electronic companies including best buy and staples have placed recycling

27 states in America have enacted electronic waste (E-waste) programs with some outlawing landfill disposal altogether, but not everyone agrees this is the solution to the ever-growing electronic advances in technologies. Over 20 to 50 million metric tons of electronics are disposed of each year worldwide, equal to over 206 billion dollars of annual sales in the United States alone that contribute to the disposal (Grey, 2014). The Controversial arguments at hand are to continue to discard broken electronics to landfills, recycling through newly established waste programs, or to find other solutions to the newer aspect of technological advances in electronics.

The production and circulation of electronic waste is a highly politicized and complex issue which highlights the conflicts and tensions between jobs and the environment. There are debates surrounding governance decisions and global economic linkages which approach the disposal of e-waste from two different stand points. One view is that the first world is making an unethical political decision to send its e-waste problem to pollution havens i.e. third-world countries with less stringent environmental standards. Electronic goods consist of highly toxic substances such as lead, chromium, mercury, and brominated-flame retardants, therefore when they are disposed of in an uncontrolled and risky low-cost manner such as in informal sectors they can cause major issues to both human and environmental health (Pickren, 2013). The root of this cause is linked to the asymmetrical relationships of power and the unsustainability of the current social, economic, cultural, and political movement. The decision to send e-waste ‘out of sight and out of mind’ is highly politicized and based around issues of power and control. However, another view is that north-south flows can be beneficial to informal e-waste economies and has been observed to be creating new economic settlements in third world countries in which livelihoods depend on re-using and re-pairing e-waste and selling them within the community.

Verizon’s commitment to recycling: For instance, Verizon offers a trade in program that allows customers to trade in unwanted handsets, tablets, and notebooks. The trade in program has enabled Verizon to keep 75 tons of e-waste out of the nation’s landfills. Consequently, this is a critical concern for the environment. Electrical and electronic equipment contain different hazardous materials which are harmful to human health and the environment if they are not disposed of carefully. For example, some of the materials in e-waste include: lead, mercury, and PCB’s.

Ever since we have started mass producing electronics, we have also been mass producing e-waste which has been shipped off to foreign countries, most prominently India. For less than minimum wage, Indian workers scavenge through toxic e-waste to find valuable pieces inside of the waste. As a result, many human rights of the people in India are affected. This paper will investigate to what extent the human rights of these people in India are affected by poor e-waste management

Health is always considered the most important factor for human’s lives. Without health, we cannot do anything. There are many factors in daily activities that can affect your health such as food, drinks, soil, water, air, or we can say the environment around us. Because the environment plays a vital role to human’s’ health, we are trying to do everything to conserve the environment. However, there are still some activities that we might think they are safe for us and the environment; it they actually kills us in far the future. One of them is recycling electronics equipment. Nowadays, electronic waste (e-waste) is increasing rapidly in the US and many people know that they should not just throw e-waste in the garbage