Social Issue Report Essay

Christina House

Eng. 102

Dr. Aldrich

13 Oct. 2009

Awareness of Electronic Waste

This Christmas many consumers are going to purchase new electronics, not because they need them but because they will see their old electronics as out dated. Consumers tend to buy the latest electronics when their old electronics lack the latest features; the consumers will opt to toss out the previous electronic device and buy a new. Many people in the U. S. fail to worry or notice where the recyclables are transported. Also many are unaware of the alternatives of reusing or recycling, leading them to discard their electronics in the trash. According to Christian Monitor staff writer Mark Clayton in his article entitled, Recycling of Electronics Can Be Done Safely, “In all, about 3 billion units of consumer electronics will be scrapped through 2010, [according to] the International Association of Electronic Recyclers.” The poisonous toxins contained in electronic devices are hazards to the environment and also to people who have worries about public health. However, incentives for recycling electronics are available, but it is important to become knowledgeable about recycling in order to prevent further damage to the environment and to understand how the toxic chemicals can threaten human health.

Incentives are offered for proper disposal of electronics but few people take advantage of them. A national solution needs to be implemented because technology changes every year and the electronic wastes continue to pile high. According to The Waste Age, “In early July, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced The Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act (S.1397)” (6). The bill would let the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) give grants to universities, government laboratories, and private companies for research and study of recycling electronic waste (also known as e-waste). It would also allocate $18 million in 2010,...