E-Waste “Future archaeologists will note that at the tail end of the 20th century, a new, noxious kind of clutter exploded across the landscape: the digital detritus that has come to be called e-waste” (Carroll 3). This statement by Carroll shows the epidemic of e waste that the entire globe is suffering from. E waste from our definition is used electronics such as TVs, phones, computers, and radio. As technology advances new and advances electronic appliances are brought in the market which attracts consumers, therefore consumer in pursuit of elegance, quality or even prestige opt out of their old devices and go for the new more technological devices. This has created a major problem of disposing the old and used devices and over the years the total numbers of e waste have been in the rise. “Gordon Moore, co-founder of the computer-chip maker Intel, observed that computer processing power roughly doubles every two years. An unstated corollary to "Moore's law" is that at any given time, all the machines considered state-of-the-art are simultaneously on the verge of obsolescence” (Carroll 3). This shows us that the problem is here, which keep on the same way of consummating electronic devices, and the more we still doing the same thing, the more that we will get in bigger problem. Various researches give various values for the amount of e waste that have been dumped not only across U.S but also all over the planet. However, both agree that the amount of e waste is alarming and have been on the increase over the recent years. For example, more than about 130 million still working phones were retired in 2002 in the U.S alone and the number have been increasing with the years. In Japan phones are said to be discarded a year after purchase (Slade 6). In the U.S it is said that about 98 million cell phones took their last call in 2005 (Carroll 3). The computers on the other hand are said to have decreased in lifespan from about 4.5 years in 1992 to about 2 years in 2005. This has led to large amount of e waste about 20 million per year globally. The digital migration of TVs from analog to digital has led to generation of about 25 million yearly e wastes of TVs in the US alone. In total according to the UNEP if all e wastes are tallied they could amount to about 50 million tones yearly (Carroll 3). This brings us to the question, what has led to this high number of electronic waste? Each and every day Samsung, Apple, Microsoft and other information giant companies announce a new model, which they claim to be better than the previous model. New phones with more advanced or even new technologies are manufactured; TVs, which are better than the already existing versions are, invented daily, Laptops or PC with bigger RAM or internal memory or even better graphics enter the markets. This technological advancement is one of the major factors that have led to increase in the amount of e waste (Slade 6). Everyone is rushing to have the best of the availab ...

1. E-Waste
“Future archaeologists will note that at the tail end of the 20th
century, a new, noxious kind of clutter exploded across the
landscape: the digital detritus that has come to be called e-
waste” (Carroll 3).
This statement by Carroll shows the epidemic of e waste that
the entire globe is suffering from. E waste from our definition is
used electronics such as TVs, phones, computers, and radio. As
technology advances new and advances electronic appliances
are brought in the market which attracts consumers, therefore
consumer in pursuit of elegance, quality or even prestige opt out
of their old devices and go for the new more technological
devices. This has created a major problem of disposing the old
and used devices and over the years the total numbers of e
waste have been in the rise. “Gordon Moore, co-founder of the
computer-chip maker Intel, observed that computer processing
power roughly doubles every two years. An unstated corollary
to "Moore's law" is that at any given time, all the machines
considered state-of-the-art are simultaneously on the verge of
obsolescence” (Carroll 3). This shows us that the problem is
here, which keep on the same way of consummating electronic
devices, and the more we still doing the same thing, the more
that we will get in bigger problem.
Various researches give various values for the amount of e
waste that have been dumped not only across U.S but also all
over the planet. However, both agree that the amount of e waste
is alarming and have been on the increase over the recent years.
For example, more than about 130 million still working phones
were retired in 2002 in the U.S alone and the number have been
increasing with the years. In Japan phones are said to be
discarded a year after purchase (Slade 6). In the U.S it is said
that about 98 million cell phones took their last call in 2005
(Carroll 3). The computers on the other hand are said to have

2. decreased in lifespan from about 4.5 years in 1992 to about 2
years in 2005. This has led to large amount of e waste about 20
million per year globally. The digital migration of TVs from
analog to digital has led to generation of about 25 million
yearly e wastes of TVs in the US alone. In total according to the
UNEP if all e wastes are tallied they could amount to about 50
million tones yearly (Carroll 3). This brings us to the question,
what has led to this high number of electronic waste?
Each and every day Samsung, Apple, Microsoft and other
information giant companies announce a new model, which they
claim to be better than the previous model. New phones with
more advanced or even new technologies are manufactured;
TVs, which are better than the already existing versions are,
invented daily, Laptops or PC with bigger RAM or internal
memory or even better graphics enter the markets. This
technological advancement is one of the major factors that have
led to increase in the amount of e waste (Slade 6). Everyone is
rushing to have the best of the available be it phone, computer,
and TV. In town meanwhile discarding their old devices.
Another factor to be blamed for this trend is the advertisements
which keep showing why this new electronics are the best, the
adverts tells people how the new phone is the hype in town or
how you now have a chance of watching your football live in
HD screens and much more amazing things. This have brought
confusion to consumers where they keep changing from one
device to the other just to experience what they are promised
and some even buy these devices for prestige. For example,
some people changing their phones every month like shoes just
for the sake of prestige. This in return has led to people
discarding their old phones or other devices (Slade 6). Lastly
lack of recycling and increase in the use of these electronic
devices all over the globe has also led to this menace we are
facing. No good recycling policies have been put in place to
help curb the rise of e waste. We through them aimlessly
without the knowledge they have to our environment. This has
intern created lots of problem to both our life as humans and to

3. the entire environment.
In term of doing business, the U.S import their devices
outside the country. Moreover, Ads and media play a huge role
in this (Leonard). Which has a huge impact on the develop
countries. According to Chris Carroll, “In the United States, it
is estimated that more than 70 percent of discarded computers
and monitors, and well over 80 percent of TVs, eventually end
up in landfills” (Carroll 3). As shown from above expert E-
waste pose a great threat to the environment, they may leak
various toxic compounds such as lead, arsenic, mercury,
cadmium and many more. For example, India being the highest
recyclers of this waste has their soil contaminated with this
compound. Loni has almost 147 times the expected control of
this toxic compounds (Bradley 1). These compounds have
adverse effects on the plant, terrestrial animal and even aquatic
life if they are carried along with water to water bodies. They
kill most of these organisms thus interfering with the ecology of
the planet. They also cause mechanical damage to the organisms
and also prohibit growth of these organisms. Other effects to the
environment include air pollution due to bad habit of disposing
them through burning, this not only leads to deposition of toxic
fumes in the atmosphere, and they may help perpetuate the
effects of global warming and ozone layer destruction.
The effects on human life is also inestimable, these
problems range from pulmonary diseases as a result of fumes
from the smoke of the burning of these e waste. The smoke also
has effect on one’s nervous system and are nauseating (Carroll
2). They also contaminate drinking water disposing man to
myriads of problems. “Drinking water has also been
contaminated, the study found, with observable amounts of
toxic metals. One sample in each region even contained mercury
– 710 times the Indian standard limit in Mandoli, and about 20
times the limit in Loni” (Bradley 1). These toxics when
accumulated in the body may lead to damage of kidney, lungs,
brains and other important body organs. They are also said to be
carcinogenic and may cause cancer.

4. Increase of e waste in the developed countries have led to
exporting this waste to the developing countries with China
being the largest importer followed by India, Nigeria and Ghana
in that order this is according to the Environmental Science and
Technology study, carried out in 2005 (Bradley 1). In the case
of India 80% of all the imports originate from U.S. Most of this
developing countries import of the used products where the
good products are re-used while those that are not useful the
copper wires and other valuable parts are extracted. This poses
the individuals extracting them to the above named problems of
contamination by the toxic compounds. In addition the plastic
parts are burnt posing the air pollution. Children of as low as 10
years take part in this processes thus exposing themselves to
dangers of contamination, which might be much severe to them.
In short, e-waste is serious and big problem that needs proper
addressing and as soon as possible so as to combat the side
effects associated with them. Developed countries should also
be discouraged from dumping these wastes to developing
countries.
Works cited
Bradley, Laura. “E-Waste in Developing Countries Endangers
Environment, Locals.” US News and World Report. 1 Aug.
2014. US News. Web. 11 February 2015. 22 Jan. 2015.
Carroll, Chris. "High-Tech." National Geographic Jan. 2008.1-
3. Print.
Leonard, Annie. The Story Of Stuff. Dir. Louis Fox. Produced
by Free Range Studio. Story Of Stuff.org.2007. Film
Slade, Giles. "Insatiable, That's Us." Conference Board Review.
44.6 (2006): 12-14. Business Source Premier. Web. 22 Jan.
2015.