Source: Inform.org
Electronic devices continue to flood the marketplace and gadget enthusiasts find themselves gravitating to the advertisements, touting the latest technological advances in mobile phones, tablets, flat-screen televisions, and MP3 players. But many consumers remain unaware of the problems associated with abandoning the old for the new and how it impacts the environment and humanity internationally.
This issue came to the forefront with the Switzerland-based Basel Convention, an group formed to combat the proliferation of e-waste and establish environmental standards to prohibit “toxic traders” from sending shiploads of disposals to poor communities. Its 1989 landmark ban against such actions has been the guide that scholars, environmentalists, e-stewards and activists look to base their theories and practices on about e-waste and recycling. The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, specifically, works to uphold the convention's standards.
An area that BAN and others are focusing on lately is the latest growth in e-waste due to increased mobile phones usage. According to technology researchers Gartner, 417 million new handsets were sold worldwide in the third quarter, up 35 percent from 2009. And the International Telecommunications Union estimates there are 5.3 billion subscribers worldwide. That translates to about 77 percent of the world’s population, with China and India leading the growth, according to mobithinking.com.
When it comes to recycling practices, Americans toss 130 million phones per year and more than 100 million cell phones are no longer being used, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet, there are some consumers who take their devices to local recyclers in their communities. But are the handlers environmentally responsible with their practices?
Jim Puckett, executive director of BAN, appeared on NPR’s “Fresh Air” in late 2010 to educate listeners about the lucrative electronic recycling trade and how consumers can be mislead to think the handler is reputable. On its site, BAN features e-Stewards, certified recyclers who dispose of e-waste responsibly.
To see the impact of the mobile phone discussion, Inform, a national non-profit produced a short video featuring how consumers remain unaware of this e-waste issue. Knowing its final destination might change future behavior in how the public discards mobile devices.
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