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Stefan Krause
INTG-285
May 8th, 2016
Final Paper
Electronic Waste
Beginning in the mid-20th century there was a new era introduced to the international
community; it was the introduction of the Digital Age. This new revolution of technology which
entered a new facet of developing and the processing of computers, digital recordings, and
numerous communication devices, brought not only those who could afford such commodities
closer and more impactful, but it intertwined the entire globalization of continents together as
one. A major player that resulted into the process of the Digital Age is the foundation of
Electronic Waste; when people think of waste they think of no good, useless equipment;
however, technological advancements such as computers, radios, and monitors, the lifespan and
usefulness is almost infinite. According to the United States EPA, the average American
household owns more than 20 electronic products. Developed countries such as the United States
exports 50-80% of 23,000 metric tons of electronic waste to developing countries such as China
and India. This process established a “trickle-down effect” where developing countries cannot
sustain the import of E-Waste from developed countries; this has led to a “Digital-Divide”
among these developing countries. With the influx rate of E-Waste to developing countries and
their Digital Divide among them, what impact will it have on their environment and society?

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The United States is one of the leading developed countries in the world that produce,
recycle, and distribute their electronic products to neighboring developing countries such as
Nigeria, China, and India. Several domestic statistics in which the United States currently
possess; the average cell phone user gets a new cell phone every 18 months, 20 million
Televisions are trashed every year, and alarmingly enough only 13% of Electronic Waste is
responsibly processed and recycled every year. (Levin pg. 1) Populated Cities such as San
Francisco, Denver, and Pittsburgh are becoming ever-more conscious of the real environmental
and health hazards/implications that can arise from the mismanagement and improper recycling
techniques that have been practiced for years. In these populated cities where low socioeconomic
status individuals reside, lack the presence of mind and their ability to really understand the
knowledge and the meaning behind properly and responsibly recycling electronic waste
products.
In recent years, ABC News conducted an investigation on an Electronic Waste recycler
that was based out of Denver; the recycling company claimed that they were properly recycling
the products that they received, but really they were not recycling at all. All of their products
such as computers, cell phones, T.V.’s, and laptops were transported onto shipping containers
and exported to Far East developing countries such as China and Hong Kong. (Levin; Money
Crashers) The rise of E-Waste can only be contributed by the rapid economic growth, the
urbanization development, and the growing demand for consumer electronic goods in the U.S. In
today’s interconnected and social globalized world, the ability for companies to produce and
distribute new electronic products is always going to be beneficial to the consumer because the
ever-growing demand for these products is not going to slow down. In the United States there are
multiple methods in which Electronic Waste ends up; there are landfills, incineration, reuse,

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recycle, and export approaches to manage these goods. With all of these methods there are
negative side effects such as the environmental impact, the chemical hazards these products
contain, and the societal impact it has on neighboring developing countries.
E-Waste is not just an environmental and human hazard to the world; it is a contributing
black market criminal impact as well. Inside of a personal desktop computer there are roughly up
to 30 chemicals, metals, and minerals that are the mechanical makeup of these products. Most of
these valuable substances are found in the circuit boards; the brains of these products. Metals
such as Gold, Silver, and Platinum along with minerals such as Gallium and Indium are within
these systems and can be used for other technologies such as flat screens. With all of these
different components that are within these electronic products the impact they carry can either
diminish or multiple by the proper or improper recycling of them.
Developing countries such as China acquire so much E-Waste that they are developing
landfills within populated cities such as Beijing that are becoming environmentally impacted by
the very hazardous substances in which they contain. Michael Bittner an editor for EHS Journal
states that, “Electronic gadgets can contain thousands of components made of potentially
harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, beryllium, antimony, polyvinyl
chlorides (PVC), brominated flame retardants, and phthalates”. (Bittner) Long term exposure to
these substances that are being disposed of improperly can correlate to effects of the nervous
system, kidneys, and livers, reproductive and endocrine systems. Societies that are subjected to
the continuous influx of E-Waste and who do not proactively try to change or prevent negative
impacts to the human and relative environments can negatively alter future generations. In these
developing countries the toxicity impact of these electronic products also has a critical impact on
their society; it is not uncommon for organic pollutants to mix readily with heavy metals in

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recycling workshops and make their way to neighboring communities, also the toxicant products
in which these countries leave them in have been established for decades, which leads to a
sustained and immediate danger to human and environmental life.
There is an ideologically and methodically difference between responsible recycling and
global dumping, individuals who are conscious of the environment and proactive in the way they
approach how to discard their E-Waste do so by properly taking apart their device or goods and
setting the harmful substances such as the circuit board separately; however, majority of people
and the ever-growing influence it has of “dumping” E-Waste to developing countries is far too
common. To put into perspective of the “dumping” crisis, developing nations import roughly
5,126 shipping containers, stacked up, 8 miles high; in one year. In 2001, the Basal Action
Network (BAN) conducted an investigation on E-Waste processing in countries such as Pakistan,
India, and China, they confirmed they “uncovered an entire area known as Guiyu in Guangdong
Province, surrounding the Lianjiang River northeast of Hong Kong where about 100,000 poor
migrant workers are employed breaking apart and processing obsolete computers imported
primarily from North America”. (Watson) The interesting fact about developing countries and
their relationship they have with E-Waste is that they operate with 19th century technology to try
and process and self-distribute 21st century technology.
Societies that have been impacted and altered by the change and influence of E-Waste are
not alone. The international community has become ever-more aware of the environmental and
societal impacts E-Waste is having on these developing nations and the very ecosystems in
which they revolve around. The United Nations World Health Organization has been a leading
contributor in the fight to proactively change the status of the nations that are affected, they have
incorporated programs such as, “The Libreville Declaration emanating from the first Inter-

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Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa 2008, the Busan Pledge for Action
on Children’s Environmental Health of 2009 and the Strategic Approach to Integrated Chemical
Management’s expanded Global Plan of Action issued at the International Conference on
Chemical Management ICCM3 in 2012”. (WHO) The World Health Organization is establishing
three main goals in their fight; identifying the main sources, potential health risks of e-waste
exposures and defining successful intervention programs. The WHO is not alone in the fight to
combat the issues that E-Waste are conveying on our society as a whole, the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States’ National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety are also teaming up to systematically diminish and destroy the
negative impacts E-Waste is having on nations all over the world.
In conclusion, E-Waste is not only a problem for developing countries all across the
world it is also an issue that affects people in your neighborhood and surrounding communities.
Society has been experiencing a technological growth ever since the Digital Age entering from
the mid-20th century, once society realized the greater benefits of these electronic products,
expansion within businesses and corporations grew, urbanization within populated cities rose,
and the thirst and drive of everyday people keeps on itching for the newest and best product. E-
Waste is a major contributor to the successes and the downfalls of developing nations such as
India and China where there socioeconomic and diverse population cannot sustain the influx of
imports they are receiving by nations such as the United States. Globalization in this
interconnected world should make the transition from one nation to another easier; in regards to
the distribution and responsible disposal of electronic consumer goods, the relationship is
growing apart and the human and environmental impact it is having on these nations can

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snowball effect back to flourishing nations. To combat the global issue of E-Waste there are
programs out their supported by the EPA and WHO who are systematically operating to diminish
and negate the impact E-Waste is having, but the real groups that can help this issue are everyday
people who by being conscious of their environment and by gaining knowledge and
understanding of the impacts of their choices can they really change the outcomes of Electronic
Waste in the world.

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Bibliography
1. “Valuable Substances in E-Waste”. E-Waste Guide. EMPA. 2009. May 7, 2016. Web.
2. Kumar, Shashi. Jain, Arun. “E-Waste: Health Impacts in Developing Countries”. EHS
Journal. July 19th, 2014. May 7, 2016. Web.
3. “Where does E-Waste End Up?” Greenspace International. 24 February 2009. May 7,
2016. Web.
4. Pinto, Violet N. “E-Waste Hazard: The Impending Challenge.” Indian Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine 12.2 (2008): 65–70. PMC. Web. 9 May 2016.
5. “Responsible Recycling V. Global Dumping”. Electronics TakeBack Coalition. May 7,
2016. Web.
6. “Electronic Waste”. World Health Organization. 2016. May 7, 2016. Web.