What is E-waste?
E-waste, or Electronic waste, is a name for electronic items that have become unwanted, non-working, obsolete or slow, and have reached the end of their useful life.
Part of the problem is companies come out with newer 'must have products' on a regular basis. For example, Apple comes out with a new iphone about every 18 months, and every time they come out with a new phone all the other phone companies need to come out with a new phone to stay with the competition. And because we just want the newest, perfectly good 'older' phones are replaced with the newest version, creating e-waste. Because technology advances at such a high rate, many electronic devices become “trash” after a few short years of use.
Another issue is companies make it hard to replace batteries, and fix other parts on their phones and computers. It is much easier to discard a piece of equipment instead of trying to fix it. This is another way for companies to sell more of their product. I’m not attacking phone companies, and I like their stuff, but they are trying to make money and its harming the environment.
E-waste isn’t just smart phones, computers and TVs, e-waste can be an old refrigerator, old cars, anything with a circuit board or motor that is old or obsolete.
In the US more than 100 million computers are thrown away with less than 20% being recycled. Most electronics that are just thrown away contain some form of toxic materials such as mercury and lead. These materials might be small, but when all added up the threat to the environment is great. Besides adding harmful toxins into the environment, bad disposal of e-waste is a recycling opportunity lost. Almost all e-waste contains some form recycable material, including plastic, glass, and metals.