Post by account_disabled on Feb 19, 2024 23:28:07 GMT -5
Nowadays it is more than difficult to imagine going through modern life without a mobile phone in your hand. Computers, tablets and smartphones have transformed the way we communicate, work, learn, share news and entertain ourselves. And all of this became even more essential when the COVID-19 pandemic moved classes, meetings, and social connections online. However, few people realize that our dependence on electronics comes with huge environmental costs, from mining minerals to disposing of used devices. Consumers can't resist faster products with more storage and better cameras, but constant improvements have created a growing global waste challenge. In 2019 alone, people disposed of 53 million metric tons of e-waste. Callie Babbitt and Shahana Althaf have taken on the task of investigating this event and have commented in Fast Company : «In our work as sustainability researchers, we study how consumer behavior and technological innovations influence the products people buy, how long they keep them, and how these items are reused or recycled. "Our research shows that while e-waste is increasing around the world, it is decreasing in the U.S. But some innovations that are reducing the e-waste stream are also making products more difficult to repair and recycle.
Recycle electronic parts Thirty years of data show why the volume of e-waste in the US is declining. The new products are lighter and more compact than those offered before. Smartphones and laptops have Europe Cell Phone Number List surpassed desktop computers. Televisions with thin, flat screens have displaced bulky cathode ray tubes, and streaming services are doing the work that once required stand-alone MP3, DVD and Blu-ray players. American households now produce about 10% less e-waste by weight than at their peak in 2015. The bad news is that only about 35% of U.S. e-waste is recycled. Consumers often don't know where to recycle discarded products. If electronic devices break down in landfills, hazardous compounds can leach into groundwater, including lead used in old circuit boards, mercury found in early LCD screens, and flame retardants in plastics. This process poses health risks to people and wildlife. There is a clear need to recycle e-waste, both to protect public health and to recover valuable metals. Electronic devices contain rare minerals and precious metals mined in socially and ecologically vulnerable parts of the world.
Reuse and recycling can reduce demand for “ conflict minerals ” and create new jobs and income streams. But it is not a simple process. Disassembling electronics for repair or salvage is expensive and labor-intensive. Some recycling companies have illegally stored or abandoned e-waste. A Denver warehouse was called " an environmental disaster " when 8,000 tons of lead-filled tubes from old televisions were discovered there in 2013. The US exports up to 40% of its e-waste. Some go to regions like Southeast Asia that have little environmental oversight and few measures to protect workers who repair or recycle electronics. Disassemble the products and "assemble" the figures Health and environmental risks have led 25 US states and the District of Columbia to enact e-waste recycling laws. Some of these measures prohibit the landfilling of electronics, while others require manufacturers to support recycling efforts. They all point to large products, such as old cathode ray tube televisions, which contain up to 4 pounds of lead. We wanted to know if these laws, adopted from 2003 to 2011, can keep pace with the current generation of electronics. To find out, we needed a better estimate of how much e-waste the US now produces. Callie Babbitt and Shahana Althaf.