CoimbatoreTaxi News
-
The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.
-
E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.
-
The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the blood and the kidneys.
-
Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two years, many old computers are being abandoned.
-
Only 15% recycle their computers, which means the other 85% end up in landfills.
-
It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.
-
About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10% are recycled. If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.
-
Flat panel computer monitors and notebooks often contain small amounts of mercury in the bulbs used to light them.
-
Cathode ray tubes in older TVs and computers typically contain about 4 lbs of lead and sometimes as much as 7 lbs.
-
The European Union banned e-waste from landfills in the 1990s, and current laws hold manufacturers responsible for e-waste disposal.
-
Large amounts of e-waste have been sent to countries such as China, India and Kenya, where lower environmental standards and working conditions make processing e-waste more profitable. Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia.
-
E-waste legislation in the United States is currently stalled at the state level. Just 24 states have passed or proposed take-back laws. However, as of January 1, 2011, covered electronics are completely banned in West Virginia.
-
Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include, but are not limited to:
-
Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes
-
LCD desktop monitors
-
Laptop computers with LCD displays
-
LCD televisions
-
Plasma televisions
-
Portable DVD players with LCD screens.
CoimbatoreTaxi News
|
