Electronic waste is a growing problem in many developing countries in our current technological climate. First world countries such as the US and Japan are looking for cheap and easy ways to dispose of the plethora of excess electronic devices. While there are many groups that claim to "recycle" these products a good amount of this e-waste is sent to developing countries like china and Nigeria where they are disposed of in ways that are harmful to both the workers and the environment. Many toxins are found in computer parts that can get into a workers blood stream over time or into the water supply of an area making it undrinkable. These practices are unacceptable and the fact that the US is not more diligent in monitoring the e-waste exports of our country is down right neglectful.
For me I try strongly to buy electronics only when i need them, even though i am a total nerd and new parts for my computer are like toys to me. But I do try and do my part i give my cell phones back to the providers for them to reuse and i try and upgrade my current computer instead of having to replace the whole thing. It may not be much but I feel I am doing my part.
