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Hard drives and motherboards awaiting recycling.
Photo courtesy of Intercon Solutions
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CHICAGO – Toss the aluminum
or plastic can in the trash or exercise effort
by recycling? This choice is presented multiple
times per day to the average person who drinks
sodas and bottled water.
If we replace an aluminum can with a laptop computer
or a plastic bottle with a cell phone, will the
same effort be exercised?
Why does society place more importance on recycling
aluminum cans and paper products than laptop computers
and cell phones?
In honor of Earth Day on Saturday, ePrairie posed
this question to the EPA. In response, EPA spokesperson
Karen Thompson said: “I don’t know.”
After a brief pause, she added: “I can’t
speak for society.” Additional response
to this question was requested but went unanswered
by the EPA over a 24-hour period.
Many people might find this response to be interesting
considering the large volume of cell phones thrown
in the trash each year. According to the EPA,
this number reached 130 million per year in 2005.
Society does not place an importance on recycling
cell phones. There seems to be no evidence that
the number of cell phones thrown in the trash
is lowering below the 130 million mark.
Why aren’t there signs or TV commercials
encouraging people to recycle cell phones the
same way society supports the recycling of aluminum
cans? Why are there not stories about how computer
components will sit in a landfill for thousands
of years just like Styrofoam containers? Someone
or some entity should take the lead.
It can be said that technology grows and advances
every six months. Many people know this fact to
be true as new laptop computers developed today
are typically obsolete in six months. The average
life span is falling, too.
According to the EPA, more than 250 million personal
computers became obsolete in 2005. This is evidenced
by the average lifespan of PCs, which is falling
from 4.5 years in 1992 to an estimated 2 years
in 2005, according to the EPA. The statistics
are growing each year concurrent with the advancement
of technology.
Chicago businesses have recognized the waste
technology produces each year.
Benefit to Businesses
Take the average person out of the equation and
replace it with a large technology business that
uses thousands of pounds of hardware for computers,
production and communication purposes each year.
Multiply the thousands of pounds by the number
of technology companies found in the S&P 500
index. The waste adds up.
“There are no laws forcing big businesses
to recycle e-waste,” Thompson said.
That said, why should businesses spend money
on recycling e-waste? According to Hasna Abousier
of Intercon Solutions in Chicago: “Aside
from the obvious good gesture to the environment,
recycling your equipment means you’ll never
have to worry about data stolen from computer.
All e-waste is physically destroyed instead of
sitting in waste dumps that are vulnerable to
information hackers.”
Abousier says the recycling of e-waste also ensures
that business hardware won’t end up on the
black market. Intercon Solutions is another Chicago-area
company creating a business by disposing and recycling
e-waste.
“E-waste refers to consumer and business
electronic products nearing the end of their life,”
Abousier said. “All e-waste must be recycled
properly. The only way to guarantee that it won’t
end up in a landfill is through demanufacturing
and recycling for its raw material value.”
Abouseir says all electronics contain lead or
mercury that is dangerous and toxic if not recycled
properly. Mercury and lead can adversely affect
the global environment and contaminate ground
water.
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