why should we recycle our e-waste??

Now you must be thinking why we should recycle our e-waste right??...

Well, in this generation it is often the case that many people buy the latest electronic gadgets such as ipods, ipads, latest mobile phones, game consoles etc.

However they do not dispose of their old electronics in an ethical manner. As a result hazardous substances are released into the atmosphere and many people in third-world-countries suffer from harmful illnesses due to people not recycling their e-waste.

    

So together, we should recycle all our e-waste to make a change for the people suffering in LEDC's as well as the environment.

     
  

Britain's e-waste illegally leaking                             into West Africa

In Britain each year, we throw away a million tonnes of electronic waste - enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times over. So what happens to our broken TVs and computers - our e-waste - once we have dumped it it ends up in Ghana.

10-year-old Mohammed reveals the deep open cut on his thumb, visible through the black soot that covers his small hands. Two other cuts have been covered up with blackened, filthy plasters.

He says that the wounds are from the sharp copper wire that he is scavenging from the biggest digital graveyard in Africa.

for more information visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9483000/9483148.stm

Facts About Recycling E-Waste

1.  Monitors and televisions with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) contain 2-4kg (4-8lbs) of lead on average.


2.  E-waste is the largest source of lead in solid waste.
3.  Circuit boards in computers and other electronics contain toxic materials like chromium, nickel, and zinc.

4.  Switches and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) may contain mercury.

5.  Batteries may contain nickel and cadmium.

6.  It is estimated that 70% of heavy metals in landfills comes from e-waste.

7.   E-waste represents about 2% of the total mass in landfills.

8.  An imploded cathode ray tube is very difficult and expensive to recycle.

9.  E-waste may contain carcinogenic substances including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The Benefits of Green Energy

The benefits of green energy are vast. Usually you may think about two primary environmental benefits. They include no waste or pollution from the energy sources or emissions.

Eliminating harmful emissions would drastically improve our planet’s outlook and virtually eliminate global warming caused by greenhouse gasses.  Additionally, green energy means no more destruction of the earth as we harvest fossil fuels.

However, beyond the immediate and apparent environmental benefits, in the long rungreen energy is significantly more cost effective.

Imagine if your entire building ran on energy from the sun? How much a month would that save you in air conditioning and heating your office and in your electric bill?

Over the course of a year you can save a thousand dollars or more? And imaging the amount saved over the course of ten years.  Yes, initially it will cost to transfer your energy source from fossil fuels to green energy sources, but that initial expense is usually paid for within a few years.

Green energy is infinitely sustainable and economically sound. That’s why it is the wave of the future.

Ghana : Income E-waste a growing problem

The Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana just published their “e-Waste Country Assessment,” based on actual data from Customs authorities, field visits and meetings with key stakeholders — that is, from credible, in-country, official sources.

Ghana reports that at least 35% (and perhaps much more) of imported, second-hand electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) is non-functioning, most of that coming from the EU and the USA. Some is repairable — but fails soon and adds to Ghana’s growing e-Waste crisis.

How Much E‐waste is Being Discarded?

Whether trashed or recycled, what are we getting rid of each year in the US



E‐Waste in 2007 – Was it Trashed or Recycle



Products                       Total disposal                 Trashed                    Recycled            Recycling Rate

                                             (million of units)         (million of units)             (million of units)       (by weight)


Televisions               26.9                20.6                 6.3            18%


Computer                205.5             157.3                 48.2         18%


Products


Cell Phones            140.3                 126.3                14          10%

Vermont Governor signs bill to boost electronics recycling in the states

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas has signed a bill that aims to make it easier to collect for recycling electronic scrap from residents of the state.

Starting the first of next year, the state’s will adopt a plan for the collection and recycling of all electronic waste in the state. In developing the plan, consideration will be made to look at the existing electronic waste collection opportunities and services in each county to determine whether such opportunities and services are adequate.

The Dangers of E-Waste

E-waste stands for electronic waste. This includes anything from discarded and broken cell phones, computers, iPods, and small appliances.
Developed nations are dealing with a crisis of overconsumption, which produces many harmful consequences. One of these consequences is          e-waste, which is created when electronic products are thrown away.
 Unfortunately, the production and ultimate disposal of e-waste is sped up with planned obsolescence, when products are intentionally designed to have a short lifespan—they either break quickly and cannot be repaired inexpensively, or new versions are continually being designed to replace older ones. With the technology available to us, products can be designed to last for decades, if not longer. However, things seem to be lasting for less and less time. This is all in the name of profit, benefitting corporations that want consumers to keep buying products.

5 facts

1. The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.
2. E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste. The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the blood and the kidneys.
3. Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two years, many old computers are being abandoned. Only 15% recycle their computers, which means the other 85% end up in landfills.
4. It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.
5. About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10% are recycled. If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

Play your role!!

We together, by working hand in hand can help to

make a change and make the Earth a better place by

simply recycling our electronics! visit your local

re-use and recycle centre to recycle your appliances

and help save the children! All recycling centres play

a central part in sustainable resource and waste

management, SO RECYCLE!!

 

THERE IS STILL TIME FOR A CHANGE!!

Hazardous Chemicals

Hazardous Chemicals

• Mercury: Health effects include sensory impairment, dermatitis, memory loss, and muscle weakness. Environmental effects in animals include death, reduced fertility, slower growth and development.
• Sulphur: found in lead-acid batteries. Health effects include liver damage, kidney damage, heart damage, eye and throat irritation. When released in to the environment, it can create sulfuric acid
• BFRs: Used as flame retardants in plastics in most electronics Health effects include impaired development of the nervous system, thyroid problems, liver problems, it has a similar effects as in animals as humans.
• Cadmium: Found in light-sensitive resistors, the inhalation of cadmium can cause severe damage to the lungs and is also known to cause kidney damage
• Lead : A typical 15-inch cathode ray tube may contain 1.5 pounds of lead, but other CRTs have been estimated as having up to 8 pounds of lead.