Recycling e-waste

By Rebecca Harnik

As a student I recently invested in a laptop computer. After I made my purchase, I no longer needed my slow, bulky desktop computer. I boxed it up and it ended up in a corner of our basement, where it still lies today. I gave little thought to the old computer until a few months ago, when I began learning about e-waste.

E-waste is the leftover, discarded, highly toxic waste that results when consumers no longer need their old refrigerators, computers, CD players, cell phones, etc. Electronics contain a massive list of toxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium for manufacture, and when they are broken down, they can be very dangerous.

Less than 10 percent of our nation’s e-waste is properly recycled and large amount of the e-waste in our country that is turned in for recycling is exported to Asia or Africa. The U.S. is currently not equipped to deal with this highly toxic waste and instead of properly managing it, we export most of our hazardous e-waste because it is much cheaper.

As I have learned, these facilities we export to are dangerous for workers and public health—most workers use bare hands to sort out valuable materials, while unusable parts are simply incinerated, with complete disregard of health consequences. These sites result hazardous drinking water, poor air quality, many health problems and a myriad of issues in the surrounding ecosystems.

As I thought back to that rejected computer sitting in my basement, I worried, where would it end up when I finally got rid of it? If I turned it into a recycling program, how could I guarantee that it would be properly recycled? What about the spiffy new laptop I bought? I must admit: when I purchased it, I paid no heed to the company’s environmental record.

As consumers, there are actually many things we can do to ensure proper waste disposal and minimize the dangerous effects from e-waste. Research your current computer company and see what they recommend for disposal. Dell and Sony, for example, offer free take-back programs for their electronics. Still, it is important to research appliances before buying them—support companies that will help manage waste from all of their products after they sell them.

The U.S. Postal service has started a great recycling service in which you can send back cell phones and small electronics for free in the mail. These small envelopes are available in 1,500 post offices across the country.

For a list of the most eco-conscious companies in the U.S. check out Ban.org or the Take it Back Network.