Preview

Causes and Effects of E-Waste

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
453 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Causes and Effects of E-Waste
Name: Quyen Bui Xuan
Topic: As technology develops, the amount of E-waste has also increased. What are some causes and possible effects of the increasing amount of E-Waste?
The electronic trade is more vibrant than ever before because of the race to generate more technologies of many companies around the world. This development, however, leads to the old electronic product replacing, which cause the amount of E-waste to skyrocket. As a result, the Earth is in danger since the environment has been ruined, and therefore, putting people’s health in warning. This essay will describe the major causes and negative effects of increasing E-waste. The main cause of this issue is that the affordability of personal electronic has increased markedly. In the meantime, mobile phones and computers are causing the biggest problem because they are replaced most often. The companies’ competitive prices have exploded the large consumption of electronic equipment. In fact, 674 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2004(Greenpeace). Furthermore, this problem also results from the greater technological advances. In other words, the model of electronic product has quickly superseded than that before. According to Greenpeace the average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005. Apparently, the amount of E-waste is discarded globally each year as a consequence of upgrading or pursuing new model of customers and the strategy which is called “design to dump” of the manufactures to reach the huge level of sales in order to soar their profits. The possible effect of increasing E-waste is environmental contamination. When thrown away, they end up in landfill, incinerators or more recently, are exported to Asian countries to recycle. Unfortunately, dangerous medicals and toxic metals inside those devices may leach into the land over time. The situation even getting worse during disposal process when they are burned

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Most people don’t know or understand how bad it really is. It will take a lot of awareness and laws to make a national change. Most of our timeworn computers and devices end up in landfills, burners or are shipped to foreign continents. Kingsolver often emphasizes the limitations on natural resources and not recycling electronic waste continues to put restrictions to our resources. Because the electronics we use contain toxic chemicals and other dangerous heavy metals, when the e-waste is dumped into landfills, these toxic chemicals can seep in the soil and pollute our water supplies. This process is not only life threatening to the ecosystem and wildlife, but it’s also dangerous for people living in nearby communities (McGinnis, “Benefits of Recycling”). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has statistics approximating that more than 2,000,000 tons of old electronic appliances are not being properly disposed of each year. Between 2000 and 2007 about 500 million personal computers became outdated and were thrown out (McGinnis, “Benefits of Recycling”). When these toxic chemicals enter the troposphere, people and the environment are at risk. Different ideas have been mentioned regarding what to do with all this e-waste. Crazy ideas such as sending it up into space are mentioned, but an easy option is to send it to an e-waste recycle plant. This must be enforced by laws for people to consider this…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “High Tech Trash” by Chris Caroll, Caroll explains the effects of e-waste (electronic trash). The article mentioned how most electronics that are thrown out, donated to charity, or even recycled still end up in developing countries. “While some recyclers process the material with an eye toward minimizing pollution and health risk, many more sell it to brokers who ship it to the developing world, where environmental enforcement is weak” (Caroll 81). This causes our e-waste to affect other families around the world who worked who most likely worked in sweatshops to produce the products that are being sent back to them. When this should not be the case other countries should not have to pay with their wealth to take care of our…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Apple Case Study

    • 2723 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Higher cost in R&D to create consumer electronics environmentally friendly and increase in production cost.…

    • 2723 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    • Why do we consume so much anyway? o Psychological influence (advertising and peer pressure) o Planned obsolescence (engineering new products to replace “old” ones) o Structural imperatives (national obligation to consume) • Solutions to reducing solid waste? o Voluntary behavior (do the right thing) o Command and control (product bans, taxes on packaging, etc.) o Market-­‐based approaches (consumer behavior) • Hazardous waste: waste that threatens human health or the environment because it is toxic (poisonous), dangerously chemically reactive, corrosive, or flammable • Who generates hazardous waste in US?…

    • 7330 Words
    • 249 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Jared Diamonds book Collapse, he talks about different issues that can hurt the environment. These issues varied from environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, and friendly trade partners, but most importantly is how society responds to the problem. Today a major problem that our society is facing is Electronic Waste. With technology becoming more advanced each year the demand for new products is increasing. Though this might seem good for the people, it actually is hurting are society. With this becoming a rising issue it brings up the question, is electronic waste causing pollution and causing health issues? To answer this question first we have to know what electronic waste is.…

    • 1780 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Some states in the United States, including California, has implemented the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, allowing people to cash in their no-longer-used electronic devices when they recycle their no-longer-used technology. The implemented law may be effective in reducing the problem in this country, however, United States is not…

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Teen Activists

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Electronic waste makes up to 70% of toxic waste. When Alex Lin heard this he wanted to reduce the amount of E-waste in the world. In takepart.com Alex states, “I don’t see anything uncommon of it, My friends and I have been doing this since fifth grade. It’s become part of our life style.” This quote proves Alex Lin is a teen activist because he is doing what he thinks is right and will not stop until he fixes the E-waste problem. Alex Lin held a Metech International to hold an E-waste recycling drive that collected over 21,000 pounds of electronics to have the daily E-waste and recycle it properly. However, once Lin and his team discovered that reusing computers was much more efficient than recycling, they decided to create a computer-refurbishing program. “To make this sustainable,” says Lin in takepart.com, “we worked with the Westerly School System to incorporate A+ Certified Computer Repair class’s curriculum.” He has used refurbished computers to create media centers in developing countries like Cameroon and Sri Lanka to foster computer literacy. E-waste, or electronics garbage, is the fastest growing section of the U.S. trash stream. In 2007, Americans discarded more than 112,000 computers daily, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Alex and his team tried to pass a bill to stop E-waste but The bill didn't pass. “We are disappointed; we had put in all this time and they didn’t listen to us.” says Brodie in takepart.com. Though there's no federal law banning E-waste, although 20 states have passed legislation mandating statewide E-waste recycling. The state of Rhode Island, were Alex lives, has passed a law of dumping electronics thanks to Alex Lin. This shows Alex Lin has made a difference because without him nobody would have tried to cause a federal law stopping E-waste in many states and countries. Since…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Exploratory Research Paper

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages

    I found groups such as, the Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER), which was directly concentrated on the issue of waste caused by technology. With “More than 140 companies and supporting members” I gathered that there was a strong sense of urgency and support for this issue. The CAER works to push legislation in the United States for recycling policies which would require “domestic recycling of untested, nonworking e-waste.” This more pragmatic approach, saw the problem of electronic waste from the standpoint of safety and security yet required for the government to act before anything could be…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil Rights Activists

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alex Lin has helped the earth since 5th grade. He is an environmental Activist. He read an article that huge E-Waste flood to come. He was influenced by this problem and stood up. Alex Lin learned that chemicals in electronics can harm animals and plants. He later created a Program called team Win. “We worked with Metech International to hold an e-waste recycling drive that collected over 21,000 pounds of electronics,” says Lin.” Alex Lin later got to go to the State House. He…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This section discusses the rise in waste due to lifestyle changes and also due to differing attitudes to consumption. Also discusses the Thompson theory which helps to understand the value of rubbish beyond cash value. It also looks at the effects of zero value waste.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wasteful Society

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There was a time when you bought something, and when it broke, you get it fixed. Nowadays that is no longer the case when things break people throw it away and get a new one. One example is today, digital devices such as cameras and cell phones have added to a wasteful society. As electronics become cheaper and better, Americans feel the need to dispose of the old and purchase the new, adding to the unnecessary waste.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Electronic waste is defined as the term used to describe end-of-life or discarded devices using electricity. The majority of these devices contain toxins such as mercury, lead and cadmium, that can make their way into the earth once the device is discarded. According to “A Hazardous Afterlife”, an editorial written for the New York Times, recycling is the best option for disposing of electronic waste. Although this is the recommended way according to the article, many places such as Washington do not regulate recycling, and consequently, only 10 states have programs for recycling electronics as of 2008. The article forecasted that in 2010, consumers would no longer be allowed to throw electronics in the trash without…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Heather Rogers argues in “The Conquest of Garbage” (Kirszner LG, Mandell SR eds. The Blair Reader, 7th ed. 2011) that although waste and garbage have many negative effects on the environment, it is still good for business. Of the many monuments of civilization, the Fresh Kills Landfill is one of them; it is the largest landfill. The United States is the world’s biggest producer of garbage. It is now harder to avoid producing waste and garbage. There are questions about garbage and where it goes that remain unanswered such as: will we run out of places to put garbage? An abundance of garbage means an abundance of decay and filth, and yet waste is a necessary part of the consumer society. Foe every ton of household waste, there are seventy tons of industrial waste. Not only does garbage have a negative effect on the environment, but the way we deal with garbage also has a negative effect on the environment. Since the national set of standards was implemented ten years ago, there are garbage graveyards now that are struggling to meet new standards. There are also landfill gases in addition to landfill liquid waste. Waste incinerators were responsible for producing sixty-nine percent of the worldwide dioxin emissions. Thirty percent of municipal waste is packaging; forty percent is from plastics, though we know that plastics stay intact for centuries. The output of throwaways is still enormous after the introduction of recycling. Most recyclables still end up as garbage. Our consumption of raw materials and our production of waste speed up the destruction of the earth’s natural systems. Global warming is occurring faster than predicted because of the increase in burning fossil fuels. Extreme weather has already occurred as an effect of emissions. Both developed and undeveloped countries have an effect on the environment. Second and third world countries are turning to the use of plastics such as the plastic shopping bags causing an increase in the…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Waste In Canada

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As humanity develops new technology, the magnitude and severity of waste increases. When computers were developed, it widely was believed that the need for paper would be eliminated. On the contrary this was widely proven false and we are now utilizing more paper than ever. Canada is not an exception as the typical Canadian generates an average of three pounds of solid waste each day1. This alone shows what a careless species we have become- using and disposing materials without even considering the damage we are causing. With half a trillion tones of waste around the world, only 25% may be reused for a second or third time and less than 5% can be renewed limitlessly1. These facts are true only in developed countries. Since these traditional…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    e-waste management practices

    • 4537 Words
    • 19 Pages

    For instance, sixty percent (60%) of people interviewed in Congo, particularly internet café staff and owners, said that they did not know that ewaste has negative effects on health and the environment. Due to the lack of policy on management of this category of waste, people tend to mix ewaste with regular garbage and throw it in public bins. The waste is mixed up and taken to the landfill without any pre-sorting (Niombo, 2010). Internet Cafes should have a special collection system, and a management option to handle these wastes properly for a sustainable development. Without adequate e-waste management, potential threats to health will occur and may threaten ecological balance.…

    • 4537 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Best Essays