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The Scope of US E-Waste

Posted by Soulskill on from the out-of-sight-out-of-mind dept.

theodp writes "Every day, Americans toss out more than 350,000 cell phones and 130,000 computers, making electronic waste the fastest-growing part of the US garbage stream. A lot of the world's e-waste is exported to Guiyu, China, where peasants heat circuit boards over coal fires to recover lead (a 15" computer monitor can pack up to 7 lbs. of Pb), while others use acid to burn off bits of gold. Guiyu's willingness to deal with lead, mercury and other toxic materials generates $75 million a year for the village, but as a result. Guiyu is slowly poisoning itself with the highest level of cancer-causing dioxins in the world. The village experiences elevated rates of miscarriages, and its children suffer from an extremely high rate of lead poisoning. TIME suggests checking out recycling brokers and accredited e-stewards the next time you're ready to toss a gizmo."

4 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. Charities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hi,

    I am a voluntary sys admin for a mental health charity, Contact, http://www.contactmorpeth.org.uk/

    We take in local donations of unwanted PCs, refurbish them and give them away to people with mental health problems, their children or their carers. Some people have told me that their free PC was a life changing event (once they'd got broadband working).

    Surely in America you'd be able to start up a similar scheme for charitable donations?

    HTH,

    Ian

    1. Re:Charities by Penguinisto · · Score: 3, Informative

      Surely in America you'd be able to start up a similar scheme for charitable donations?

      Yep - we do.

      /P

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  2. 60 minutes by mattwarden · · Score: 4, Informative

    > TIME suggests checking out recycling brokers and accredited e-stewards the
    > next time you're ready to toss a gizmo.

    I guess TIME doesn't watch 60 minutes.

    '"This is a photograph from your yard, the Executive Recycling yard," Pelley told Richter, showing him a photo we'd taken of a shipping container in his yard. "We followed this container to Hong Kong."'

  3. Re:7 pounds is complete BS by goombah99 · · Score: 2, Informative

    yes but my point is still valid. A 15" monitor weighs about 20 pounds and has a 1.7 pounds of lead. not 7 pounds. Most of the lead is neck and frit and can be recovered. The rest is bound in a glass matrix (it can still leach but is a good start on containing it).

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.