The Problem Of Electronic Pollution Essay

This paper will discuss what e-waste is, what is happening to the e-waste and why it is a problem. The paper will then discuss what can be done to improve the situation.

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

In today’s society, information technology has developed to become an essential component of business processes within various industries and has irrevocably transformed the way businesses work by providing more productive, efficient and a more powerful means of producing resources. However, it has contributed to the world’s environmental challenges and caused detrimental effects on the environment via the pollution elicited by manufacturing, wasteful disposal of computers and components as well as the toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process which can enter the food

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

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

In the Article, “Alex Lin, Teen Activist,” Lin states, “When improperly disposed of—i.e. dumping, burning, etc.—these chemicals can seep into the surrounding environment, harming humans, crops, and ecosystems. With the advent of the computer in the 1970s, electronics use has increased exponentially, bringing with it ever-increasing amounts of waste. In the majority of the world, this waste is improperly disposed of, resulting in untold damage to the environment.” As you can see, by improving our world speaking out against electronic waste, Alex Lin has made himself known as a

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.

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

The world has faced extreme environmental issues, unlike ever before. There are billions of people living within the world today. There is a high demand for environmental resources and a low demand to consider where these resources are coming from. People are inconsiderate when thinking of the sacred environment that cannot be replaced. The importance of getting somewhere on time and as quickly as possible comes before the cleanliness of the air that people breathe. A majority of the world runs at an extremely fast pace, and is very technologically advanced. Unfortunately, with the world running at an all time high speed the environment cannot catch up causing devastating global issues. In this paper, the environmental issues of air pollution, water pollution, waste disposal, and recycling along with important ethical issues regarding these

If you where to ask a small child in Nigeria—"what do you do everyday?" They will most likely answer, "burning e-waste and selling the minerals inside in in." Not an answer you would receive from an American children living in the Untied States. Slowly this kids are being sicken by all the dangerous substances that e-waste contains. Soon this will lead for their bodies to stop growing properly. They will eventually die. Old electronics should not be thrown away, instead recycled. Because it is not healthy for the people in the countries that try to take out the material inside of the e-waste. And because we need tougher laws. Also because you can recycle.

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

Mangan states that “Moreover, there are intensive levels of energy and work required to design, assemble, package, ship and deliver electronics around the world to consumers. Not to mention that millions of devices are replaced once, twice, even maybe three times a year by customers eager for something better. This results in a large amount of hazardous household waste that is often irresponsibly discarded in the trash.” Mangan also states that “Not only does our demand for electronics harm the environment, but it can also harm our relationships. She says that it hurts relationships because people don’t interact face to face, and like we already know people can make an easy fake identity on their electronics which can potentially hurt people. Electronics also take away time from family and friends, they draw people apart and don’t allow people to have quality time. Electronics are a great tool used in society but are dangerous for our health and our social

The environmental issue for my Milestone project is Air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, and many harmful substances into Earth 's atmosphere, causing diseases, allergies, and death to humans, damage of other living organisms like animals and crops, or the natural environment (National Geographic, 2016). Georgia air pollution has been a focus for many years. Environmental protection Agency and Clean air act has been one of the main contributors to controlling environmental air pollution from increasing. The research is on scholars, chemicals and gases connected to air pollution and health hazards. Solution for Georgia is conserving, alternative energy and renewable resources.