Tuesday, January 25, 2011

E-waste Recycling

E-waste (or electronic waste) is a huge waste issue. Tons of e-waste end up in landfills each year and leach toxic chemical into our water systems and air.  In fact, e-waste is responsible for up to 40% of all toxins in landfills. Many communities (including my own) have started setting up e-waste drives where people can drop off e-waste to be recycled by paid (private) companies. I even organized 2 of these in the past year. But recently there has been some speculation as to whether these companies actually recycle or just ship it overseas to be pick apart by hand by underpaid workers, including children. 

Following these claims, I am planning to take a "field trip" to the recycling plant of the company we used - WeRecycle. Overall, the company was friendly, but startlingly unorganized.  Many community organizers have held e-waste drives using this company, so hopefully I will find good things. 

Below are a couple of videos on the topic. 



Greenpeace Video on E-waste




What do you think about the e-waste recycling business? Comment below!

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