The topic of e-waste has been all over the news lately as the Christmas season brings with it all types of new electronic devices which will replace old ones. The problem is dealing with all of the excess electronic devices that are no longer in use. Unfortunately, studies have shown that most people are still unsure of how to recycle electronics and many people are even unaware that it is even an option. As the United Kingdom tries to divert more of its waste away from landfills in an effort to reach the goals laid out by the European Union, heavy fines are being imposed on companies for dumping too much waste into landfill sites.
This has led to companies looking for different ways to get rid of their old computers, printers, mobile phones, and fax machines and plenty of companies stepped up to meet the demand. This led to widespread scams where companies would pick up e-waste only to dump it illegally or even take it to developing nations like Africa and dump it there. This illegal dumping on the third world has led Greenpeace to call for increased regulation on e-waste, including keeping track of its life span and where it ends up. Greenpeace has launched an interactive map called the Electronic Waste Trail which gives details about the life of the e-waste after it leaves the company.
E-waste presents a particularly unique problem to landfills as it not only takes up valuable space but there is also the potential that components like batteries can leak harmful chemicals into the soil.
|
|
