Poorer countries used as e-waste dumping grounds
Wednesday, December 18, 2013 - 12:03:28
A new report from the UN has revealed that many of the world's wealthiest nations are guilty of sending out their old electronic waste to poorer areas of the globe, where hazardous materials are then illegally dumped, according to the Guardian.
E-waste volumes are on the rise and should increase by a third in the course of the coming four years, the report states. Fifty million tonnes of the gadget garbage was created in 2012, equalling seven kilos for every single person on earth.
If unwanted electronics are simply dumped, then the harmful toxins they contain can easily escape and contaminate the surrounding land, so they need to be carefully handled.
The best way to deal with e-waste is first to reuse and then recycle. So if you have an old mobile phone that you no longer need, you should either give it to a friend or relative, or sell it online to a recycling company that will be able to reclaim valuable minerals from within and avoid harming the environment as a result.
China is leading the world when it comes to e-waste generation, beating the US, although on a per-citizen basis, it is America which remains ahead of its contemporaries.
Consumers are spending more on gadgets today than ever before and many of these have relatively short life cycles. A mobile phone will last around two years before an upgrade is sought, with a similar state of affairs quickly bedding in around the emerging tablet market.
While governments need to do more to stop e-waste being shipped overseas to be dumped in impoverished countries which lack the infrastructure to responsibly dispose of it, consumers also have a responsibility to recycle as much as they can and stop sending electronic products to landfill.
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