One of the unintended side effects of the rapid growth of digital communications and affordable Internet-accessible devices is a rise in electronic waste, or eWaste.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in the period between 1999 and 2009, the number of electronic devices sold in the US doubled from about 215 million to 438 million. During that same year, about 2.37 million tons of electronic devices were no longer usable. But only about 25% of these actually made it to a recycling center.
So what happened to the remaining 1.78 million tons of broken or obsolete smart phones, laptops, tablets and other eWaste?
eWaste in Landfills
Much of it thrown into the trash, where it eventually made its way to landfills. Unfortunately, improper disposal of eWaste can be harmful to humans because it frequently contains such dangerous heavy metals as lead, cadmium and mercury, which can leach out of landfills and make their way to public water supplies, into the soil, or into the food supply.
A lot of eWaste is exported to other countries. When this type of “third world dumping” occurs, many of the same environmental and health risks can appear elsewhere. But there’s also the risk of confidential or proprietary information — such as email addresses, personal correspondence, and even credit card numbers and passwords — being captured by unauthorized third parties.
eWaste Puts Children at Risk
According to the World Health Organization, children are especially vulnerable to the health risk associated with eWaste.
“As they are still growing, children’s intake of air, water and food in proportion to their weight is significantly increased compared to adults — and with that, the risk of hazardous chemical absorption,” the WHO wrote on its official website. “Furthermore, their bodies’ functional systems such as the central nervous, immune, reproductive and digestive system are still developing and exposure to toxic substances, by hampering further development, may cause irreversible damage.
“Many children are exposed to eWaste-derived chemicals in their daily life due to unsafe recycling activities that are often conducted at their home — either by their family members or by the children themselves,” the WHO warned. “Furthermore, children may be exposed through sump sites located close to their homes, schools and play areas.”
Disposing of eWaste Properly
To help reduce the risk associated with eWaste, the California recycling organization CalRecycle recommends following the mantra of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”:
- Reduce your generation of eWaste through smart procurement and good maintenance.
- Reuse still-functioning electronic equipment by donating or selling it to someone who can still use it.
- Recycle those products that cannot be repaired.
Recyclable eWaste includes such general office equipment and supplies as desktop computers, laptops, docking stations, monitors, CD and DVD players, modems, calculators and electric typewriters, Point of Sale registers, hard drives, keyboards, mice, copiers, printer, FAX machines, and overhead projectors.
Telecommunication eWaste includes FAX machines and scanners, cell phones, chargers and wireless devices; car charger; telephones pageres, answering machines, adapters and cords; global positioning system devices, cords and chargers, and personal digital assistants.
Also potentially dangerous are televisions, VCRs, DVD players and speakers; labeling and laminating machines; cameras, camcorders, video and sound equpment, adapters and cables; microwave ovens and small electrical appliances; and power tools.