When rich Americans like you and me decide it’s time to buy a new computer, we are faced with the inconvenience of getting rid of our old one. Like most Americans, I've had an old monitor and printer in a closet for years now. As the article explains, computers like mine can't be dumped in the garbage, because they contain hazardous materials such as lead and mercury.According to the article, old equipment from the west makes its way to US recycling centers simply to be shipped back to China or India. An Indian environmental group estimates that it costs ten times more to recycle a computer in a developing Asian country as it does to recycle the same product in the US.
However, there is no regulatory oversight of the e-waste business in China. Toxic chemicals are dumped freely along the Lianjiang River by poor migrant workers who struggle to feed their families. They dismantle the computers for scrap metal and reusable parts making a few dollars a day. The human toll is horrific with workers reporting abysmal working conditions and a myriad of health problems.
In case you were wondering how social justice and sustainability issues are intertwined in our global economy, read this article. It explains exactly how the poor are forced to bear the burden of western e-waste just to feed themselves and their families. Suddenly, I don’t feel like shopping for a new computer anymore.
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