WHATIS E-WASTE? JUST ABOUT E-VERYTHING.
“E-waste” is the catch all for discarded electronic products, but the term is most often used in reference to gadgets like cell phones (It’s a fact that Americans replace their cell phones about every 18 months), printers, tablets, televisions, and computers. According to iFixit (more on these guys later), an estimated 20 million tons of e-waste are generated each year, with America alone contributing 3.4 million tons annually. Consider this: A full 75% of all their e-waste gets thrown away. That’s an enormous, growing mountain of garbage. In total, “it’s spread between dumping, recycling, and exporting”, says Larry Herst, CEO of Triangle Ecycling in the U.S.A. “But there’s very little current info” about where it all ends up. And that alone is terrifying.
High-tech garbage isn’t just a space sucker, it’s also highly noxious: Dumped devices release
