E-waste is electronic waste that includes computers, printers, scanners, fax machines, televisions, phones, and many other electronic products. Fifth years ago, these products didn't exist. Today, they are considered necessities. But when these necessities become dated or worn out and are thrown away, e-waste becomes a dangerous problem for millions of people.
An area the size of the city of Los Angeles could be piled 22 stories high with the computers thrown away in the U.S. alone. Most Americans don't care to think about where their old computers end up, but they end up somewhere.

Someone giving an old computer to an e-waste recycling company might think that they are doing the right thing, but once recycling companies get your computer, they might just ship it away to a 3rd world country. Governments of developing countries don't allow citizens to have a voice about electronic dumping. The U.S. regularly dumps anywhere from 315 to 600 million computers in places including India, South Africa, China, and Switzerland. This is because American buisnesses, schools, governments, and homes buy electronics faster then they can throw them away-especially Marin.

Many of these electronics can be safely recycled. Companies claim to fix and refurbish e-waste, but there is still much non-usable waste. Several companies, including Marin's Computer and Education Disposal and Golden Gate Disposal, have said they seperate parts. Then, they send the parts to be melted down into usable plastics, and metals.

Two recycling companies said that they forward their e-waste to AERC. AERC also claims to fix and refubish computers if possible. However this company shreds its non-usable materials. The available staff could not tell me what they do with those shreds. The Community Computer Center recycles e-waste, but without much thought for the enviroment. A company spokesman did not seem to know or care where their share of e-waste ends up. They give unusable electronic waste to an anonymous shipping company. They export the waste to foriegn counties.

Electronics in use today contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and flame retardant. These chemicals end up in soil, air, and water all over the world. In 2004, the Niger River was sampled by www.ban.org . The water contained 190 times more lead then recomended for drinking water. The likely source is the e-waste landfills that surround the river. This river also runs through local communities.

Chemicals inside electronics have already caused at least 12 different cancers, blindness, birth defects, and death. Today, despite dangers, 500 shipping containers full of e-waste enter the ports of Nigeria each month. These dangerous items are being accepted by poor countries every day. The people do not have a choice.

The Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 forbids dumping of electronics on U.S. soil. Anyone who is caught dumping these products can be fined up tp $25,000 dollars. Unfortunatly, this left people and buisnesses with not many choices. The recycling companies just dump where they can legally do so. www.ban.org traced a computer dumped in Africa back to a San Mateo school. It is certainly an insult to the people of other countries as well as an enviromental hazard to allow such practices to continue.