Recycling Should Be Manditory

Giles Slade stated, “E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste” (Slade, 2015). Electronic waste is extremely harmful on the environment and contaminates the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soil we grow our vegetables in. Electronics contain high amounts of heavy metals, which are extremely toxic to all forms of life. According to GreenPeace, “it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill” (GreenPeace, 2009). With our technology constantly advancing, we begin to find that e-waste continues to grow at an exponential rate. Many people want the newest and best technology, which leads to the older electronics being tossed out. Instead of individuals taking their old electronics to be recycled though, they tend to throw it in the waste bin and it doesn’t get the proper disposal it needs. According to GreenPeace, “it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill” (GreenPeace, 2009). That percentage is a pretty hefty, especially when 60 Minutes estimates that “130,000 computers are thrown out every day” (CBS, 2008). With that estimate and percentage, anywhere from 13,000 to 26,000 computers are thrown out every day and not properly

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

Recycling is the process of making new products from a product that has originally served its purpose. The process of recycling starts when used products are disposed in an appropriate, environmentally friendly way. Items made from materials such as paper, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastic water bottles, and glass, which people use in everyday life, can be separated from regular trash and put in an appropriate recycling bin. The United States now realizes the importance of recycling. However, many ignorant people still think separating recyclables requires too much work. Requiring mandatory recycling would prod these individuals into action. Lack of recycling leads to dramatic consequences such as polluting the environment and raising the number of landfills. Delay is critical; time plays a significant role in waste management. The sooner American communities recycle properly the better it will be for the environment and our surroundings. People need to become conscious and take responsibility as a society to protect the earth, keep it clean and beautiful, and preserve the natural resources. The United States can achieve this goal by implementing mandatory recycling.

In fact, we throw away 2 billion disposable razors and 16 billion disposable diapers each year, this number growing each year as our hyper consumption of disposable products continues. Roughly eighty percent of all household trash goes to landfills, which are hazards unto themselves. Toxic chemicals leak out of the landfills and contaminate ground water and surface water. Also, space for new landfills is constantly needed, but no one wants a landfill near them, thus creating political problems and angry citizens ( Bormann and Kellert 100-102). Although some disposable products, such as plastic cups and cameras, can be recycled, the recycling rates are still quite low ( only thirty percent of household waste gets recycled). Britt Anne Bernheim, in her article "Can We Cure Our Throwaway Habits by Imposing the True Social Cost on Disposable Products?", brings up another negative point about disposables.

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

Today, with over 7 billion people on Earth, the demand for technology is rising rapidly. As companies work hard to meet demands and mass produce technology for both society and businesses, they release harmful chemicals and gasses which pollute the environment and result in climate changes (Ramey). And not only does the overproduction of technology pollute the air, but it also harms the ground that we stand on. Technotrash, or any broken or unwanted electronic device, is currently the most rapidly-growing type of waste (Green) and according to GreenDisk, a company dedicated towards safely recycling technotrash, over 80% of technotrash is not being recycled. While technotrash represents only 2% of America’s trash in landfills, it equals 70% (emphasis) of overall toxic waste (“11 Facts”) because the toxins in technology can leak into the ground (Anthony). For example, lead from cell phone circuit boards can cause

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

I think that electronic makers should be responsible for disposing of them in an environmentally friendly way. I know there are places that you can drop off old phones at, but they are not many of those locations and not everyone is aware of them. These drop offs are typically to donate the phone that are then given to people in need. In today’s world where everything is so heavily technological, it is important that we learn how to properly dispose of them when they can no longer be used. I am willing to pay more for the item to offset disposal cost, if it means keeping the world a cleaner and safer place. I don’t think it should be a huge increase in cost of the product though, no more than $100. One way to help deter these

Batteries, and electronics that aren’t properly recycle is wasting material that can be reused or contaminating entire garbage dumps for leakage. IPhones contain raw materials like gold, titanium, and copper. All reusable when a person either exchanges, sells, or trades their phone. As long as the phone isn’t fried, some of the weaker materials can still be used like glass, microchips, and boards. Computers that are

To avoid the need for landfills to we could simply send the garbage to space! Then we won’t have to waste space on landfills as well! The one-time-use rockets will create much less pollution

Electronic waste is a growing international problem that is affecting millions of people in developing countries. The United States is the biggest culprit exporting old, obsolete, and broken electronics to developing countries. One problem with the electronic recycling program in the United States is often, when people drop off their old electronics to companies for recycling, many companies find it more cost effective to transport the waste for money, sending it to third world countries where labor is cheap, and where a profit can be made for both the companies and individuals in developing countries. Developing nations such as China, India, and Ghana hold the largest digital dumping grounds in the world. Hundreds of millions of tons of electronics are shipped and processed in homes, backyards, and large open fields. In her article, Environmental policy analysis, Luther, states Proliferation of and increasingly rapid technological advances in electronics mean that the

E-Waste may be described as a broad and growing range of electronics ranging from large household devices such as refrigerators, air conditioners, cell phones, personal stereos and consumer electronics to computers, which have been discarded by their users. (Puckett and Smith, 2002). While this description is accurate, it is slightly ambiguous about the length of time before a device can actually be considered waste. Often, owners discard their electronics long before they have reached the end of their actual life cycle in order to upgrade to a newer model. In most cases the outgoing device finds its way into the used market. This may prolong the life of the product by a few years, however all electronic items eventually reach a point