E-Waste

The basic problem with e-waste is, consumers are upgrading their electronics a lot faster than in the past and therefore getting rid of old computers, ipods, and other electronics. Now, with this influx of e-waste there is the basic problem of what to do with it all. Dumping your old computer at the local land fill is not a good idea, there are chemicals within the old machines that are dangerous for our environment and can contaminate drinking water. All these items need to be taken apart and recycled properly, but this takes a lot of time, work, and money. Since the process is so intense, there has been a problem of exploitation of labor in other, undeveloped countries. China is one example; there a many dumps in China cluttered with the United State's e-waste. The proper precautions necessary to safely take apart computers and TV's are not implemented and Chinese workers are being grossly exploited.

Unfortunately there are cases when a person thinks their old electronic is being recycled, but it ends up in one of the landfill in China. This happens frequently even though it is illegal to export these items from America. The problem is, the stuff is hard to trace. It changes hands so many times, that it can be almost impossible to know if the item has been exposed of safely or shipped out of the country illegally. This is also intensified by people seeking to make a profit by taking apart old computers and cell phones for the parts, and using cheap labor to do so.

This past summer I decided to upgrade my ipod. Mine was about a year old and in good condition, but it wasn't an ipod video. I felt bad about getting rid of a perfectly good ipod just because it didn't have the newest features, but I really wanted a new one. So instead of simply throwing away the old ipod, I gave it to my little sister. She has gotten a lot of use out of it and has also kept it becoming e-waste. I think a lot of people could do this. I know many people who buy new ipods or cell phones, simply because they want a new one and not because their old one is broken. When that is the case, I think the item should be given to someone who can get some use out of it. When we got rid of our last family desktop, we gave it to our next door neighbors, who were thrilled to have it. I think people should try to get the maximum life span out of their electronics, and if they are broken beyond repair, they should be recycled. It simply takes a bit of initiative on our part to make sure that our old computers are actually being recycled and not shipped out of the country.