Segregation is not the only politically correct waste management advocacy today. To start with, did you know that electronics produce larger volumes of wastes compared to any other consumer goods nowadays? This is obviously due to the rapid development of technology, which has resulted into the similarly rapid obsolescence of electronic media, gadgets and equipments like cellular phones, personal stereos, audio components, tape/compact disc media, and more notoriously, computer hardware.
By the year 2001 In the United States alone, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that about 220 million tons of old computers and other tech hardware and tape media are trashed each year. These trashed consumer electronics is now popularly known as e-waste, another one of the many catch phrases of information society is also one of its most over-looked flipside. Most e-wastes can be found in landfills all around the globe.
Unfortunately, when disposed of in a landfill, e-waste becomes a conglomeration of plastic and steel casings, circuit boards, glass tubes, wires, resistors, capacitors, and other assorted parts and materials. Which quite commonly enough is an assortment of heavy metals; trace substances and other hazardous substances that contaminate soil and groundwater.
Nevertheless, fortunately enough, there are those who do not mistakenly assume that their old media is worthless. Instead they recognize the fact technology is still inaccessible to many, most are too expensive for the average consumer and some, even prohibitively so. Thus, a great many of these e-wastes find their way to many public schools, community-based organizations and other service oriented-institutions and groups that still get the most out of these old media.
And perhaps the most important surplus in this sea of e-waste is our computer central processing unit or CPU. Commonly donated to technologically needy sectors, some CPU's are even purchased at reasonable process, restored or reconditioned and sold to surplus shops which is currently an emergent industry precisely due to high media turn-over. So, if you deem your media pre-historic and worthless, don't toss it in the nearest landfill or local antique shop Yes, even recycling has taken such economically epic technological dimensions.
0 comments:
Post a Comment