VIDEO: Trashy Technology
Our cellphones, laptops, and even hairdryers can go out of style pretty quickly. But what can we do with all those old gadgets collecting dust in the corner or stuffed into a drawer?
Some states require residents to recycle their e-waste, but it’s often unclear how or where to do so. As a result, many people just chuck old electronics in the trash, which can be a serious danger due to the materials they contain.
In New York City, budget constraints forced the city to shut down its e-waste recycling program in 2008. OnEarth looks at some ways local residents are still getting rid of their old electronics.
Jenny Shalant is a multimedia journalist and web editor at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo. She received a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she covered the environment for Upt... READ MORE >
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It's laudable that NY has passed a law demanding responsible behavior by electronics manufacturers. However, the piece negcted to mention that much of the e-waste that is left with "recyclers" in fact gets sent to Nigeria, China or other nations, where much of it is handled in dangerous ways, and where a large proportion of the material is dumped under conditions even less safe for uman health than the land fills of the U.S. BAN.org is leading the charge to combat the export of American e-waste to be dumped on foreign countries. NRDC should give them their props and use its influence to draw attention to this dark side of the seemingly "green" practice of e-waste recycling.
Thanks for watching, Matt. You are right that the new law does not tackle every challenge associated with this serious issue. The recycler featured in this piece, We Recycle!, is e-Steward-certified and has three processing facilities in the Tri-State Area -- you can read more about their work here: http://www.werecycle.com/.
There's a lot more to be done on this issue, and BAN's e-Steward Certification solution will help us get there. NRDC provides guidance on finding e-Steward-certified recyclers here: http://www.nrdc.org/enterprise/greeningadvisor/wm-disposal.asp. In the meantime, the new laws are certainly a step in the right direction.