Versión en español
The new iPhone 4S has sold over 4 million units in just its first weekend. Many of these new top trend devices will substitute older iPhones. According to CloudBlue, a electronics waste recycler, some of their partners can receive one old iPhone every 15 seconds. This means tens of thousands of units in a few weeks. Fortunately, many of them will be resold and only a part will be disposed.
Of course, people substitute many more electronic devices than old iPhones: other phones, tablets, music players, computers, printers, televisions, radios, GPS, ... How many tons of e-waste are thrown away every year? 53 millions of tons in 2009 (between 20 and 50 million in 2006 according to the U.N.). This means that tons of lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and many other substances must be treated every year to avoid polluting soils and water. Unfortunately, only a few part of the e-waste is treated. In the U.S. only the 25% of TVs, computer products and cell phones were recycled according to EPA. So, what happens to the rest? They are stocked, waiting to be "rediscovered" or they are exported to other countries sold as second-hand devices or to be treated.
Which are the main countries receiving e-waste for treatment and disposal? China, India, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria. Doesn't it sound strange to you that those countries could be experts in high technology recycling? The answer is they aren't. Most of the materials they receive are just thrown away in huge dumps without any control. People "working" there have no safety conditions nor haven't been instructed to recover materials in a safe way. They just burn cables to recover copper or use acid to extract gold from microprocessors in the middle of a landfill.
The city of Guiyu, in China, is believed to be the largest receiver of e-waste in the world. 150,000 people dedicated to treat the 100 trucks they receive everyday since 1995. And the consequences are there: "88% of workers suffer from neurological, respiratory or digestive abnormalities or skin diseases", according to the Wikipedia. "Lead in the blood of Guiyu's children is 54% higher on average than that of children in the nearby town of Chendian". Their environment has been absolutely polluted: "The soil has been saturated with lead, chromium, tin, and other heavy metals. Discarded electronics lie in pools of toxins that leach into the groundwater, making it so polluted that the water is undrinkable". You can see in this photo from Time Magazine the colour of a river in Guiyu:
The whole series of stunning photographs can be seen here. And the whole reference in Wikipedia and Greenpeace. It's terrifying.
Governments in industrialized countries have finally realised there is a big problem with electronic waste and have begun to regulate. In Europe Directive 2002/96/EC promoting the collection and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (also known as WEEE Directive) is in force since February 2003. In 2008 only one third of e-waste was properly treated and illegal exports were still detected. That led the European Commission to reinforce the existing Directives and set mandatory collection targets equal to 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the two previous years, including medical devices. The European Parliament approved the new Directives on February 2011.
There is no Federal rules for recycling electronic equipment in the United States. There are several State mandatory electronics recovery programs though. The oldest of them is California's program, dating of 2003.
A part from laws, there are many private initiatives aiming at properly treat electronic waste. Hardware vendors have developed programs to return old equipments for free, like HP's Consumer Buyback and Planet Partners Recycling Program, Apple's recycling program, Sony Take back recycling program or Nokia's Take-back program. Others, like SAP, have announced applications to help companies treating their electronic waste. But all these initiatives might not be enough.
If you want to get sure your e-waste is responsibly treated and disposed, you should look at recycling companies with an e-Stewards certification. This certification was put on track by the Basel Action Network, a non-profit, charitable organization based in Seattle, aiming at eliminating illegal disposal and exports of e-waste. Certified recycling companies operate mainly in the United States and, recently, in the European Union.
So renewing your mobile phone, laptop or TV with a new fancy gadget has its consequences. Tons of waste are generated every day and most of them aren't treated properly. Some companies are making efforts to recover old assets and you can always find a certified recycler to assure your waste doesn't end up in any landfill in Africa or Asia. What else can you do? Lengthen the life of your devices as much as you can, buy equipment with assured quality (so that it doesn't damage easily) and take your time thinking your needs to buy the fewest number of gadgets and the more appropriate for your needs.
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