Obsolete Technology and E-Waste

Brittney Mitchell

CAS 283, Section 004

September 11th, 2014

                It wasn’t until our last lab, that the terminology E-Waste was brought to my attention. I guess I never wondered what happened to all the discarded technology. Obviously our technology had to go somewhere when its trend cycle ended. I didn’t realize how much technology I had used throughout my life until we were asked to create a list during lab. Unfortunately, with all the obsolete technology that I’ve used in the past, I know that I have most likely contributed to our current E-Waste problem without even realizing it. All the countless PlayStations, cell phones, Walkman’s, and VCR/VHS that I had just over my life span is a lot, so lets just imagine if just about everyone in the world had roughly that same amount.

                According to the article published by New York Times, even in 2013 E-Waste continues to be a major problem. The owner of a Fresno, California recycling company just abandoned his football size stock-pile of electronic waste for everyone else to deal with. The only thing we can do is hope that, criminally that owner got what he deserved. He forced that area to become toxic and made the state put in millions of dollars just to clean-up his mistake. However, the worst fear is that smaller recycling companies will begin following in his footsteps because they cannot find someone to take these recycling parts off their hands.

                Majority of these stock piles are filed with mainly two things: big box televisions and computer monitors. Which makes sense because they are one of the two electronics that are rapidly changing. With flat screens and laptops/tablets revolutionizing how we go about our daily lives, it only makes sense that older counter-parts become obsolete. Recyclers used to be able to melt down certain parts of the older televisions and use them for the next production of televisions; however, this no point of going through all of that if no one is buying those bulky televisions any more. It rare to find any buyers that want the glass from these televisions and monitors. According to the article, “In 2004, recyclers were paid more than $200 a ton to provide glass from theses monitors for use in new cathode ray tubes. The same companies now have to pay more than $200 a ton to get anyone to take the glass off their hands.”

                After learning about E-Waste and realizing the harm it does to our environment, I’ll definitely think twice about just throwing out my old electronics. Just because a landfill is not near me, does not mean it’s not affecting the air I breathe. I truly feel bad for the individuals that are living next to these untreated landfills. Every time these individuals step outside their door, they have to worry about breathing in these harmful toxins. I feel like this problem will be even worse when the next phase of televisions come out, because the flat screens use a fluorescent lights with highly toxic mercury in them (New York Times). So not only are we are we going to continue to have our lead problem with the box television and old computer monitors, but extremely high mercury levels to go along with it.

 

Article: www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/us/disposal-of-older-monitors-leaves-ahazardous-trail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0