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E-Waste A Growing Concern




 E-Waste is growing and when improperly disposed can lead to environmental and medical problems for those living near waste dumps. 

"The world's richest nations are dumping hazardous electronic waste on poor African countries, says the head of the UN's Environment Programme (Unep)".  Enep estimates that "up to 50 million tonnes of waste from discarded electronic goods is generated annually". Piles of dumped electronic waste

When handled properly; e-waste can be recycled into a stream of sellable  materials - when dumped improperly it can pollute the environment by releasing toxic materials such as lead that can contaminate water supplies.

"E-waste is thought to be the fastest growing part of municipal waste in the developed world."  Partly this is due to the ever dropping price of electronic goods and the shorter cycle times for new products being developed.

A typical PC contains many toxic materials.  See below for waste by the numbers (source BBC News).

A PC by Type of Waste Product

1: Lead in cathode ray tube and solder
2: Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes
5: Antimony trioxide as flame retardant
4: Polybrominated flame retardants in plastic casings, cables and circuit boards
3: Selenium in circuit boards as power supply rectifier
6: Cadmium in circuit boards and semiconductors
7: Chromium in steel as corrosion protection
8: Cobalt in steel for structure and magnetivity
9: Mercury in switches and housing

 

 

Via: BBC News Tues Nov 28, 2006  Link 

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Posted by Green Dude on November 28, 2006 12:34 AM | |





Category: Recycle



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