What is e-waste?
There is a problem described by Anne Maczulak, a waste expert as:
“The most heterogeneous waste problem in the world”.
119 tons of it are produced of this type of waste per minute, so since you’ve begun reading, approximately 12 tons of it have been discarded. Moreover, it is one of the most prevalent and dangerous forms of waste, containing over 1000 harmful chemicals. This unique problem is known as e-waste.
Electronic waste, or more commonly known as e-waste, describes any waste from discarded electronics. Under this umbrella are broken or working electronics. An example of e-waste is a broken laptop which is thrown in a landfill.
Going to any landfill will inundate you with e-waste, piles of old broken computer parts, TVs, and phones. On average, each person produces 7.8kg of e-waste per year, and especially in Jordan, where 55% of people simply “dump it,” the high volumes of e-waste do not seem strange anymore.
Despite some efforts to control e-waste, many efforts have failed. Many nations, such as the United States, have failed to sign any agreements (despite being the number one creator of e-waste in the world). So, what exactly is e-waste? What are its effects? What can we do about it?
Hazards of e-waste
E-waste, in its many forms, has over 1000 chemicals that could potentially produce harm. Find on the side the five most well-known heavy metals and their effects (Scott).
These metals can enter humans through bioaccumulation, which is their accumulation through the food chain as animals consume these heavy metals, becoming incredibly concentrated once we finally eat them.
It is important to note that these metals are completely safe within your device and during proper recycling. However, due to improper disposal methods, these hazardous materials often seep into water supplies and soil, resulting in devastating effects. Consider Guiyu, China’s former e-waste management hub, which spanned 52 km² of unsorted e-waste managed by 150,000 scrappers. 40% of mothers miscarry there, and water needs to be trucked in due to the chemicals seeping into the water supply.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DISASSEMBLE A PRODUCT WITHOUT ENSURING IT’S SAFE
Another example is Agbogbloshie, a town in Ghana. Here, many locals complain that “their entire body hurts”, eggs from local farmers were tested and returned nearly 220x the safe levels of Chlorinated Dioxins, which according to the CDC result in: “Decreases in fertility, altered levels of sex hormones, reduced production of sperm, and increased rates of miscarriages”. This issue is also present in many other places. Indian recycling Expert P. Parthasarthy stated, “We have found children knee-deep in… keyboards to find sellable metals” (Maczulak, 46).
Finally, e-waste results in a tremendous loss of finite resources. 290 tons of gold is used in electronics per year, and only a tiny portion of that is recycled. A similar case is present for silver. This waste of fundamentally finite resources will only lead to increased mining and environmental degradation.
| Metal | Presence in Electronics | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Circuit boards and batteries | |
| Mercury | Batteries and displays | |
| Arsenic | Microchips | |
| Cadmium | Batteries | |
| Bromine | Fire retardants |
How e-waste affects poor countries more than rich countries:
The world's average e-waste production per capita is 7.8kg per person, the average Jordanian only produces 4.5kg per person per year (Hamdan et al.), yet the average American produces a staggering 20.6kg per person per year. Despite this disparity, poorer countries such as India, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, and China are disproportionately affected. One may ask why; well, it is because 80% of e-waste is 'exported' overseas, usually illegally. In some cases, Western companies even claim that they are “donating” the waste. This is the main reason for the disproportionate negative effects; as the places which produce the least e-waste have to deal with most of it.
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