Keeping an Eye on Technology Futures, No Hidden Agendas, New Attitudes, No Platitudes!
These days, technology products are obsolete within a couple of years and there's a constant push to buy new models. But what happens to those old computers and TVs and cellphones when they're abandoned? And what about those millions of Ni-Cad batteries?
Discarded electronics, known as e-waste, most often ends up in landfills, instead of being recycled. Toxic materials like lead, cadmium and mercury that are commonly used in technology products can contaminate the land, water and air. Some of these high-tech products are pure poison if not properly disposed of at the end of their useful life.
Many Americans think they're helping the environment and neighboring poor countries when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. Estimates are that 50-80% of the 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the US each year ends up overseas.
But the problems are just being transferred offshore. Workers in poor countries use hammers, gas burners and sometimes their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to increasing tonnage of toxic chemicals.
In the global village, toxic garbage doesn't go away. Sooner or later, this will surface as a serious problem. But that's yet another legacy that's being transferred to future generations.
