E-Waste and Inequality in China

E-Waste and Inequality in Guiyu, China

In a 2008 report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, it is estimated that in 2005, around 54.3 million computers and related parts were recycled in the United States (EPA 26). The EPA also reported that in 2005 eighty percent of computer parts that were collected in the U.S. by recyclers were sent abroad for resale, refurbishment, remanufacturing or material recovery (EPA 38). The majority of this electronic waste, electronics that are at the end of their useful life are being exported to undeveloped countries such as Guiyu, China. The problem with exporting e-waste to China is that Guiyu does not have the adequate technology that is needed to dispose of the electronic waste in a safe and efficient manner. The United State’s participation in the exporting of electronic waste to Guiyu, China, makes the U.S. active partakers in the environmental inequality and the environmental degradation of this region. The United States should seek ways to assist Guiyu with more modern recycling methods.

The electronic industry is one of innovation and transformation. The computer industry alone has transformed the dynamics of our daily lives. The computer, internet and email have changed the way we live our daily lives and do business. These innovations have allowed us to communicate more quickly and effectively. Computer manufacturers are constantly trying to create more effective and efficient products. As a new product hits the market consumers adapt a

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“Must have it” attitude. In 2007 alone, 64.2 million computers were sold in the United States (EPA 12). As the number of computers that are being sold grows, it gives rise to a much bigger problem? What do we do with all the obsolete computers?

Electronic waste has become an alarming concern for the United States. In Who Pays for e-Junk, Richard Dahl states, “According to the EPA, electronic waste may comprise as much as five percent of the nation’s...