WHAT WE PROMOTE
We demand electronic waste (e-waste) recycling to adhere to ecologically-responsible standards.
Old electronics are too valuable to collect dust in a cabinet of clutter. Full of useful materials, such as gold, titanium, silver, aluminum, plastics, and glass, anything but proper recycling is an utter waste of limited resources. Repurposing these substances reduces greenhouse gas emissions and expenses necessary to extract and process raw materials. As of now, a mere 12.5% of e-waste is being recycled. Considering the 130 million cell phones that go unused annually in the United States alone, this amounts to an incredible amount of waste.
Image taken from this website.
Electronics contain toxins that harm human health and the environment if not disposed of properly. Unfortunately, current practices of the e-recycling industry still consist of blatant greenwashing, exporting e-waste to developing countries, and using prison and child labor. E-waste dumping is particularly harmful because ‘recyclers’ send e-waste to developing countries, which have little to no safety requirements to limit the use of dangerous practices. When managed improperly, the toxins from e-waste can contaminate the air, ground, and water of citizens, which causes adverse side effects. Additionally, recycling workers experience constant mistreatment, which includes incredibly low wages, exposure to dangerous chemicals without proper protection, and lack of proper procedures. As consumers of these products, it is our responsibility to cut down on our consumption and turn over our e-waste to ethical recyclers.