E-waste is a global problem that needs to be addressed. Graphic courtesy of the Geneva Environment Network.
Students at San Luis Obispo High School are no stranger to electronics, whether it be the newest iPhone or the barely functioning school chromebooks. However, when these devices are no longer useful, they are often improperly discarded as e-waste and can pose severe risks to environmental and human health.
“E-waste is so common in our modern world, with the rise of planned obsolescence. Students should be more aware of how to dispose of e-waste properly and should make the most of their current technology,” said senior Lucy Field.
Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing solid waste streams in the world, with less than a quarter of e-waste being formally recycled in 2022. The release of these toxins causes increased rates of cancer, thyroid issues, respiratory problems, and impaired cognitive development in areas with high e-waste pollution.
Common items in e-waste streams include computers, smartphones, televisions, household appliances, and medical equipment, all of which contribute to the millions of tonnes of e-waste being recycled incorrectly. Improper recycling can release up to one thousand different chemicals into the environment, including neurotoxicants like lead and mercury which pose serious risks to pregnant women and adolescents.
When e-waste is deposited into landfills, the chemicals leach into both the soil and groundwater, while also affecting water supply and the local wildlife. These chemicals are highly toxic when consumed or absorbed into the bloodstream, so improper disposal puts all living organisms at risk. Many animals and plants often absorb these toxins as well, causing genetic mutations and disruptions across ecosystems, overall affecting a region’s biodiversity.
In addition to hazardous toxins, many valuable materials and precious metals are discarded that could instead be reused. This material loss is very significant as the extraction of these metals is very difficult and recycled metals are actually two to ten times more energy efficient, making the amount of recoverable metals worth around $57 billion. So, not only is e-waste posing environmental and health harms, but it’s also negative for the economy.
Certain organizations attempt to illegally recover the precious metals from electronics, however this often creates more toxic materials leaching into the environment, considering the primary processes used for this are open-air burning and acid baths.
Open-air burning in particular pollutes the air while exposing workers to large amounts of lead, mercury, arsenic, and other strong contaminants. These toxic pollutants don’t just affect the surrounding environment where they’re released either, the chemicals can travel significant distances to infect new environments.
“Careful consideration needs to be placed on the selection of chemicals used in the lab, our daily lives, and manufacturing processes to assess both the immediate and long-term dangers posed by toxic pollutants…Whenever possible, greener laboratory techniques and more eco-friendly reagents should be used,” said chemistry teacher Jennifer Brazier.
Those involved in waste picking and the burning of discarded e-waste are often children who are taken advantage of in other countries for being a cheap source of labor. This means that children are being directly exposed to hazardous substances that can permanently damage their developing systems and affect them for the rest of their life. Waste-picking is considered one of the worst forms of child labor for this reason, with millions of children globally working in this sector.
Consumer culture and the development of modern electronics has added to this problem, as new releases make repairing old electronics less preferable than simply buying a new device. As new models hit the shelves, older devices become outdated long before they stop working, creating a surge in electronic waste. Companies even do this intentionally, engineering their devices and advertising their products in a way that consumers will abandon “old” devices and buy their new technology.
As consumers, we need to use our electronics longer and recycle properly when we can, as electronic manufacturing itself is negative for the environment. The carbon footprint released from the manufacturing of these devices contributes to global warming, emitting around ten tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Currently the average American produces 47 pounds of e-waste each year, with the country being the highest globally by generating eight million tonnes annually. To prevent e-waste and limit the amount of carbon dioxide being released, consumers need to be smarter about how they interact with technology.
“Individual steps aren’t going to take care of the massive amounts of waste that big corporations plague the environment with. We need to get the people with the money to care. Stop supporting companies who are wasteful,” said junior Charly Elston.
The amount of e-waste being properly recycled is only getting worse, with roughly fifty million tonnes being generated globally. Attempts are being made to reduce this amount as starting in January earlier this year, a policy was created requiring exporters of e-waste to gain approval of the country they were shipping it to. This was implemented as a way to prevent wealthy nations like America from contributing to the pollution of poorer countries.
Additionally, child labor laws need to be enforced and more health regulation policies need to be implemented to eliminate the effects of e-waste toxins. The government needs to be proactive in addressing this problem to protect the environment and living organisms.
Organizations as well as individuals need to be held accountable, being responsible with how they dispose of their electronics. Pressure is also growing on tech companies to lower the production of materials and make it easier for consumers to repair devices.
But what can SLOHS students do? Does such a large-scale problem even matter to teenagers?
As consumers, it is students’ responsibility to actively participate in proper e-waste disposal, taking old devices to proper collection locations to be recycled.
“The future of e-waste management depends on a mix of technology, responsibility, and collaboration. That means better product design, smarter systems for recycling and reuse, and stronger global partnerships to tackle the problem at scale,” said Greenly copywriter Kara Anderson.
SLO residents and business owners can visit iwma.com to learn more about what materials should be disposed of and what facilities correctly recycle them.
As small as this may seem, recycling is actually very significant in limiting e-waste, provided everyone does their part, Tigers.
Sources: genevaenvironmentnetwork.org, who.int, nrdc.org, americancentury.com, greenly.earth, iwma.com
