Where Does Our E-Waste Go?
Electronic waste from equipment of all sizes includes dangerous chemicals like lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. When we dispose of gadgets and devices improperly, these hazardous materials have a high risk of polluting the air, contaminating soil, and leaching into water sources.
When e-waste sits in a typical landfill, for example, water flows through the landfill and picks up trace elements from these dangerous minerals. Eventually the contaminated landfill water, called “leachate,” gets through layers of natural and manufactured landfill liner and other protection. When it reaches natural groundwater, it introduces lethal toxicity.
Health risks range from kidney disease and brain damage to genetic mutations. Scientists have discovered that Guiyu, China, has the highest levels of cancer-causing dioxins in the world. Seven out of ten children in the villages of Guiyu have too much lead in their bodies; 82% tested positive for lead poisoning. Because the drinking water is so contaminated, villagers have to truck in water from other towns.
Even with the best intentions in mind, recycling e-waste often leads to illegal overseas shipping and dumping. Devices get left in a huge pit or burned. Worse, a 2008 study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that some recyclers ship e-waste to third world countries under the guise of philanthropy, claiming that these “donations” bring technology to developing nations. While plenty of recyclers run reputable operations, the shadowy companies just ship obsolete e-waste to digital dumping grounds in countries like Ghana.
Frontline profiled an e-waste dump in Ghana that explored the health risks of these practices. Young children there make a living by scavenging waste to reclaim gold, silver, iron, and copper. The amount of time they spend at dumping grounds is dangerous enough; factor in these poisons and chemicals and these habits can become be fatal. Further, the U.S. State Department lists Ghana as one of the top sources of cyber crime in the world. Criminals can purchase salvaged hard drives in an open market, and minutes later they have access to the personal and financial information you left behind in discarded devices.
ABC News did an incredible investigation of one e-waste recycler based in Denver. This company, which claimed to safely recycle e-waste, wasn’t recycling it at all. Instead, they were loading all those computer monitors, laptops, TVs, and cell phones into shipping containers and sending them off to the Far East, mainly rural China and Hong Kong.
People in developing countries are paying with their lives just so we can have the next iPad. Now that you have a sense of how serious a problem e-waste poses, consider how you can make a difference with your daily decisions. It’s sobering and depressing to think about tragedy abroad, but we can change things. We can make sure our e-waste is recycled effectively, and NOT shipped off to third world countries irresponsibly.
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