High-Tech Trash (Essay Sample)

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High-Tech Trash
Over the past twenty years, the volume of electronic waste has rocketed high from hundreds of thousands in the mid-1980s to over thirty million units worldwide by 2010. Due to the current production of “state-of-the-art” electronic machines, people are frequently advancing their electronic machines more often than ever before, hence more E-Waste. E-waste, in most cases, is being generated by developed worlds like the USA and the EU countries at an alarming rate, but unfortunately these wastes, despite of its hazardous content, they are handled improperly and dumped or incinerated in poor nations (Africa and Asia) where environmental enforcement laws are weak (National Geography, 2008).
Another Day, another Dollar
Many recycling companies in developed countries like the one owned by Vandell Norwood in Texas, was being paid millions of dollars to ship out huge volumes of E-waste to dumping grounds in Asian cities (towns) like Guiyu in Guangdong Province, on assumption that the electronic scraps were to be get recycled and put back into use. Likewise in the state of Maryland, U.S.A, Goodwill stores have been collecting old computers “for Africa” or other poor nations, on the assumption that the people of these countries need these modern day electronic machines if they are to “catch up” with the rest of the world. But unfortunately the recipients will be the end responsible party for the disposal ‘bill’ of the West’s well-intentioned donations. This is nothing but, it is a “handy out-of-sight, out-of-mind solution” kind of thing.
On the other side of the world (poor countries), to earn a living is something between life and death. Scrap sellers of old electronics, in Ghana for example, can have a ‘comfortable’ life for some time after selling some amounts of silver, gold, and other precious metals that are good conductors of electricity. Even though they ...