Dealing with Electronic Waste
By: Kelsey Lynch
Electrical Waste
- Electrical waste or E-waste is broadly defined as anything that is being thrown away by consumers that contain a circuit board.
Negatives
In the US 130,000 computers are thrown out each day & 100 million cellphones are thrown out each year. People hope their computers are being recycled properly, but that isn't the case.
Some companies are shipping computers overseas, where they are broken down for metals inside. With all the different toxics such as lead, mercury, etc inside of computers people in China opening them and burning them are causing toxics to be in the air.
Facts:
- 7 out of 10 children have too much lead in their blood.
- Peasant farmers working for just 8$ a day with burned hands are breaking down the computers
- These people are willing to risk their health for money
Electrical Waste needs to stop for health reasons
Kids
Kids have too much lead in their blood
Workers
Peasant farmers working and burning their hands
Money/Health
People willing to risk health for money
How to fix it
Environmentally friendly alternatives
Hand me down- Give them away to other offices, businesses, friends, family, anyone who is in need or wants one.
Selling- You can sell your computer that isn't being used
Donate- Donate to charitable organizations
Cannibalizing- Take the useful parts out before disposing the rest, then the useful parts can be repaired to use for similar machines