E-Waste expose: What happens to Electronics after use?

UNITED STATES February 27 2016 6:02 PM     

BY Madeleine Somerville
I was elated a few years ago when  I discovered that my town had an electronics recycling drop off point. I was  filled with smug satisfaction as I dropped off an ancient computer and a VCR I  hadn't used in almost a decade. I remember driving away from the recycling depot  and never giving it a second thought - it was literally out of sight, out of  mind.

But, a few weeks ago out of the blue, I started wondering  what happened to the electronics I'd so happily dumped into a receiving bin.  Where does that e-waste go? How is that processed? Who was processing them and  what was the reclaimed material used for? I started digging around like some  sort of amateur Nancy Drew, and the answers I found redefined how I looked at  recycling - perhaps forever.

E-waste expose

Let's  begin at the beginning, with our voracious appetite for new technology.  Smartphones, those ubiquitous devices glued to our hands at every moment, are a  perfect example. According to an article in Forbes, 51% of iPhone users upgrade  their devices every two years, along with 40% of android users. Not only  that but only 47% of iPhone users and 58% of their Android-loving counterparts  say they'd wait until their phone was entirely obsolete or non-functional before  replacing it.

What this means is not only are most of us we burning  through a new smartphone every 24 months but the old ones, the ones hanging  around in junk drawers or even headed to electronics recycling, are  still perfectly useable technology, but because they're not the latest and  greatest, we're tossing them to the curb.

It's not just our teeny-tiny  phones, either. American consumers are replacing their ever-larger televisions  approximately every four or five years, according to some industry estimates, a  time span which may come to more closely resemble the two-year replacement cycle  of smartphone users as HDTV technology continues to improve and prices continue  to drop.

Phones, TV's, gaming systems, home computers, laptops, printers,  scanners, cameras - our lives are filled with technology from our sleekest  devices all the way down to the lowly microwave, and some estimate that fewer  than 20% of our electronics are recycled.

As we replace these items more  and more frequently, they've almost become disposable objects. Constructed with  a short lifespan in mind (planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence), it's  only a manner of time before they end up in the recycling depot, or worse, the  landfill (that is, when they eventually make it there. The EPA estimates that as  much as 75% of our e-waste is languishing in the nation's closets and attics,  waiting to be disposed of.)

E-waste  recycling

Let's assume that we're discussing an individual  who does choose to dispose of their electronics in a responsible way (as  we all do, right?),  where on earth do they take it? At the time of writing, 27  states have passed e-waste laws requiring that electronic devices be diverted  from landfills and incinerators and disposed of properly at e-waste recycling  centers.This is fantastic news!

And, even if you're in one of the 22  states lacking such progressive environmental legislation you can still access  recycling programs through popular big-box electronics retailers like Best Buy  and Staples, who offer recycling programs in their stores across the country.  Some even offer financial incentives to sweeten the deal, things like discounts  on future purchases. (And hey! If you're not sure where to recycle your  electronics, check out our handyrecycling guide to find a location in your  area!)

So, you clean out your garage and end up with a box of defunct  electronics. You do the right thing, take them to your local recycling center  and drop the box off with a smile - what happens next?

Some e-waste  recycling centers like the like the Lower East Side Ecology Center inspect all  drop-off's and then repair, refurbish and sell functional electronics that come  their way. What can't be refurbished or repaired is typically wrapped up and  transported to a processing plant which removes dangerous components like tube  TV screens and batteries. They then shred the remaining items and sort them  based on material.

This material sorting is sometimes done by real live  humans, but other times space-age optical sorters are used. These employ a laser  to decipher differences between plastic, metal, and computer chips, and sorts  them into appropriate bins. The bins of materials are then sold to  buyers.

On that, we can all agree (maybe)

So far  so good, right? Just a happy tale of waste being reused and recycled! Well,  here's where things get murky. Here's why smug me might have lost her smile, had  I known this piece of information so many years ago.

Those human sorters  aren't cheap, nor are the laser beams. And in order to make every dollar count,  many e-waste companies choose to export their waste to other countries for  processing instead. They do this for the same reason clothing manufacturers do -  cheap labor.

Exporting potentially hazardous e-waste to developing  countries was made illegal by the Basel Convention, agreed to by 182 states and  the entire European Union. Guess who has signed it but not ratified it? That's  right, good ole Uncle Sam. So, the export of e-waste continues.

And, just  like the abysmal conditions in sweatshops, e-waste sorters are exposed to  horrific working conditions and health hazards. When done in developed  countries, e-waste sorting occurs under carefully controlled conditions with  appropriate safety precautions in place. But those processing the 50-80% of  US electronic waste that gets exported aren't so lucky.

These individuals  - often children - work in deplorable conditions, while exposing themselves to  harmful levels of toxic chemicals like lead and mercury. This is the dark side  of recycling, human beings toiling away in backbreaking conditions to break down  and sort our old desktop computers and cell phones.

Scan your  habits first

What's the solution to this ugly side of recycling?  First of all, examine your purchasing habits. Free yourself from the disposable  technology mindset. Invest in your tech, take care of your electronics and plan  to use them until they're obsolete - maybe people will think your ancient cell  phone is ironic! (Or vintage!)Second, when it does come time to dispose of your  electronics, ask questions. How is your e-waste disposed of, and where is it  shipped to? If your recycling facility does ship e-waste overseas consider  lobbying your municipality to reconsider this choice.

Finally, remember  that purchases - including brand new shiny TV's - aren't treats, they're  responsibilities. They come at a cost that goes far beyond their price tag -  including the sometimes alarming cost of their disposal, even if you are doing  the right thing and recycling.

Source: Earth911