Electronic Waste: What Is It? Where Does It Come From? Why Is It Dangerous? …And How Do We Stop It? A Podcast By Elizabeth R. Miller March 2010

Electronic Waste term used to describe waste materials generated from electronics such as phones, printers, televisions and appliances

Why Is It So Dangerous ? Electronics can contain chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride (PVCs) These chemicals cause cancer, brain disease, reproductive problems, and affect both people and the environment

The Problem Is Growing. Fast. E-Waste is the largest growing waste source – growing by over 40 million metric tons a year The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates only 15-20% of electronics are recycled – the rest end up in landfills or incinerators Recycled products are often shipped to developing countries such as India, China and Ghana

One Toxic Waste Site: Guiyu, China

Guiyu, China

What Can You Do? First, do not throw away your old electronics! If they are still working donate them so they can be reused. If they are no longer and you want to recycle them in a responsible way…..

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Visit

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Website allows you to search for responsible recycler in your area…. ….if there aren’t any it provides advice on how to learn if the manufacturer of your product offers responsible recycling programs If all else fails, there are still other retailers like Best Buy who may be able to help

What About the Companies That Make These Products? Some, like Apple’s TakeBack Program allow consumers to recycle products, but there are some restrictions Dell also will take back their electronics allows you to learn if your television manufacturer is acting responsibly (hint: they probably aren’t)

Moving Forward… Some manufacturers are acting responsibly, others are not  Who is holding them accountable? Who should? Is it simply a matter of better education? Should it be mandated by law?

Stay Tuned! What’s the status of state and federal legislation around e-waste? Are there other solutions to this problem?

In conclusion the advances in technology have caused an increase in sales for new electronic devices. The problem arises as to what happens with these products when they’re at the end of their useful lives. The unwanted and outdated computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, PDAs, disk drives, disks, CD’s and DVD’s are called e-garbage or techno trash. There are over 2 million tons of computer and electronic parts in U.S. land fields which contain toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Above are three ways that we can responsibly dispose of e-garbage. One way we can dispose of e-garbage is by donating to local charity such as a local school, church, or community program. Another way you can dispose of e-garbage is to recycle it. An additional option for disposing of e-garbage is sending it back to the manufacturer. Conclusion