The Trouble with E-Waste
Thursday,
Jan 02
Jan 02

According to a recent article on TheDailyGreen.com by Dan Shapley, “The average U.S. resident generates 66 pounds of electronics waste per year, according to a new United Nations analysis, just slightly less than the 70 pounds per capita we add to our lives each year. By 2017, the UN estimates, world volumes of end-of-life e-products is expected to be 33 percent higher than 2012 and weigh the equivalent of eight Great Egyptian Pyramids.”
So, what problems do vast amounts of e-waste generate besides finding enough space to discard it all? In addition to squandering loads of recycling potential, discarded electronics often end up releasing a lot of their toxic metals into the environment. These materials should be kept out of incinerators and landfills to avoid spreading.
Unsurprisingly, cell phones account for the largest amount of used electronics. Therefore, they’re responsible for one of the largest contributions of toxic metals as well as the biggest cause for bad etiquette.
If you want to help cut down on e-waste yourself, Shapley has some great advice:
Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/e-waste-per-resident-1312
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