Computers, cell phones, and
other high-tech electronics have become a necessity for everyday life for
people all around the world. From
routine day to day tasks like emailing, texting, voice calling, and
entertainment to complicated data management and information sharing; electronics
are the new machines of progress just as mechanical machines and assembly lines
led the industrial economy during the industrial revolution. In the midst of
all the headlines about technological marvels and high-tech business icons, very
little attention is given to the tons of electronic waste generated by the rapid
turnover rates in electronics. According to research performed by the US EPA
from 2003-2005, over 200 million units of electronics are ready to be disposed
annually in the United States, this equates to about 1748 thousand tons of
electronic waste. Of the 200 million units, only about 40million units are
collected for recycling. And furthermore, 44% of the 200 million units get
disposed in landfills, 45% is put into storage and reuse and only 11% actually
gets recycled.
Climate Change or Global Warming is not the fastest growing problem in the world today. Lack of public awareness on the rapid growth in the production of electronics,its hazardous material content and the government's reluctance to regulate disposal places e-waste on top of the list of global problems needing immediate remediation.
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