E-waste or electronic waste are any unused electrical or electronic appliances. So this basically includes cell phones, computers, blenders, etc. The thing about e-waste is that it is not biodegradable and many of the components are toxic. For years, e-waste has been filling up in our landfills releasing toxins into the air.
Many European countries made it illegal for e-waste to come into landfills in the 1990s. Laws were passed that made the manufacturers responsible for their e-waste at end-of-life. However, here in the United States, our federal government has not implemented any such laws or regulations and like most things regarding the environment, has left the problem up to the states. It is an expensive process to break down e-waste so many are trying to find ways to cut corners.
One such corner is shipping the waste to other countries where recycling or safely disposing of e-waste is non-existent. In China, they take apart the electronics and extract circuit boards in order to reuse them. However, in other countries such as Kenya children get these appliances and extract the copper wires. They then put all of these wires in a pile and burn them for about 20 minutes. This process melts the plastic coating around the wire. When this plastic is burned toxins are released into the air.
A journalist from National Geographic reported on following the trail of e-waste to Kenya and while he was standing with the kids watching the pile of wires burn he began experiencing nausea. He asked the kids if they had the same symptoms and they said they had but were used to it now. I dare say that if this was happening here in America, someone would have sat up and done something about it.
The thing is it doesn't matter where this is happening the fact is that it is. It should not be tolerated. So we must stop the chain of e-waste. Adopting a similar solution such as the European Union has - making the manufacturers responsible. If our government wants to put this on the back burner and leave it up to the states, then I say lets do it. The people run this country so let's not let everyone else suffer because we don't know and don't care.
Many European countries made it illegal for e-waste to come into landfills in the 1990s. Laws were passed that made the manufacturers responsible for their e-waste at end-of-life. However, here in the United States, our federal government has not implemented any such laws or regulations and like most things regarding the environment, has left the problem up to the states. It is an expensive process to break down e-waste so many are trying to find ways to cut corners.
One such corner is shipping the waste to other countries where recycling or safely disposing of e-waste is non-existent. In China, they take apart the electronics and extract circuit boards in order to reuse them. However, in other countries such as Kenya children get these appliances and extract the copper wires. They then put all of these wires in a pile and burn them for about 20 minutes. This process melts the plastic coating around the wire. When this plastic is burned toxins are released into the air.
A journalist from National Geographic reported on following the trail of e-waste to Kenya and while he was standing with the kids watching the pile of wires burn he began experiencing nausea. He asked the kids if they had the same symptoms and they said they had but were used to it now. I dare say that if this was happening here in America, someone would have sat up and done something about it.
The thing is it doesn't matter where this is happening the fact is that it is. It should not be tolerated. So we must stop the chain of e-waste. Adopting a similar solution such as the European Union has - making the manufacturers responsible. If our government wants to put this on the back burner and leave it up to the states, then I say lets do it. The people run this country so let's not let everyone else suffer because we don't know and don't care.
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