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Electronics recycling is a problem growing out of control
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A child sits in a pile of hazardous waste
The world is grappling with a problem that didn't even exist 20 years ago. The issue is how to dispose of or recycle all the electronics that are no longer being used, or that are not even usable.
From cell phones, to electronic games, to wide screen TVs, to computers that are almost obsolete as soon as you buy them, the issue of how to handle all these electronics no one wants or needs is becoming one that has to be grappled with now. Most of these high tech gadgets contain toxic materials that are not suitable for land fills. This is in addition to the fact that most of these gadgets are made of plastics and metals that will not decompose for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
Then we have to add batteries used to power all these electronic gadgets and toys, with their acids to the disposal issue.
There is a whole new industry that has sprung up around the collecting and recycling of these products. There are businesses that will pay you to take your junk off your hands. These businesses break down the old computers, TVs, etc to use, recycle or sell the usable parts, but what happens to the parts that are not usable?
Another issue that has arisen is the health and safety of the workers who are breaking down these old electronics. What types of chemicals and toxins are they being exposed to? Are they being handled safely? Who is monitoring the disposal of the parts that are not re-usable?
A convention was recently held in Basel Switzerland on "transboundary movement of hazardous waste." It is said that a report from the convention will show a "catastrophic accumulation of e-waste” that could prove to be hazardous.
"I'd say its something in the region of six billion tons, it's a rough estimate," said Katharina Kummer Peiry, executive secretary of the international agreement.
"E-waste did not even exist as a waste stream in 1989 and now it's one of the largest and growing exponentially," Peiry said.
The Basel Convention is an annual event. "The Convention has 170 members (Parties) and aims
to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation,
management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes. It was
adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992."
The convention regulates the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes to prevent and punish illegal movement of this waste across boundaries without permission. In addition, the convention requires its members to dispose of the waste in as environmentally responsible way as possible.
Some computer and cell phone manufacturers are allowing users to ship unused electronics to them .jpg)
for disposal, but the question remains how they are disposing of the waste? Most office supply stores offer discount coupons to return dead batteries and ink cartridges to the stores when you go in to shop, and, as mentioned previously, there are businesses that will actually pay you to ship your unused electronics to them.
While it appears that many businesses, industries, and governments are taking steps to handle the disposal of this waste now, the larger issue remains the increasing amounts and how these increased amounts can be handled in an environmentally responsible way in the future.
You might also want to read: Get paid to recycle old and unused electronics
Resources: Reports show increasing amounts of "E-Waste"
The Basel Convention at a Glance
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