High Tech Trash
In reading the National Geographic article, I was ahocked at how widespread the problem of waste disposal is. Myself, personally, never threw out a computer when I got a new one. My family and I would either give our old electronics to family members or to friends who could use them for spare parts. My cellphone did need to be replaced a couple of times but my provider sent me a prepaid package to send my old unit back for refurbishing, so it technically wasn’t thrown out. I try my best to get the longest life out of my electronics so they need to be replaced less often.
But, I degress. I was shocked to hear about how several “recycling programs” here in america are actually not recycling the electronic components they receive at all. Rather, they ship them oversees and dump them there. It is there that, in developing countries, people are dealt the task of cleaning up our mess. Some of those being children. We are sacrificing their education and development because of our selfish materialist American lifestyle.
Also, while it may be true that countries like China are establishing laws and regulations to limit the influx of eWaste into their countries, it is impossible to completely stop the problem. I mean, the trash has to go somewhere right?
I think the best proactive solution to this problem is a preventative one. We should be more conservative on how we buy electronic goods. Instead of buying a new computer, can we simply do a couple software upgrades to our old one? Do we really need to keep up with every latest fad? Do you need an iPhone if your current phoe is perfectly fine? Do you need 10 different iPods? The answere to these questions and more can significantly decrease the amount of eWaste.
