E-Waste Getting Worse Overseas

Chances are the next computer or iPhone you dump will end up somewhere far, far away. It’s most likely that your old gadget will end up overseas in a country like China. Sure, you’ve heard about the importance of recycling old computers, but like us, you probably never realized how bad this situation is becoming. According to Associated Press, China is producing more than 1 million tons of waste each year. That is about 5 million old TV sets, 4 million fridges, 5 million washing machines, 10 million cell phones and 5 million computers. How much of that is toxic, we can only begin to imagine. And as much as there have been international agreements made over the years to regulate the export of old electronics to China, bribery and loopholes are still allowing this to happen.

Besides China, India and poor African nations are also getting dumped with e-waste where desperate workers collect, transport and even ransack the waste for resell able material. E-waste materials are commonly shredded, or thrown in to fire or acid. In Guiyu, China alone, the e-waste industry employs an estimated 150,000 people. While we support recycling, it’s scary to think that recycling could put these thousands of people out of work. It almost feels like a no win situation. Still, ultimately the e-waste industry is proving to be not only dangerous to the environment, but to the people who work in it as well. “Chemicals, including mercury, fluorine, barium, chromium, and cobalt, that either leach from the waste or are used in processing, are blamed for skin rashes and respiratory problems. Contamination can take decades to dissipate, experts say, and long-term health effects can include kidney and nervous system damage, weakening of the immune system and cancer.”