Tech Addiction |Behind the Scenes|

“Never mind the built-in surveillance function of cell phones, the risk of brain cancer, the fact that--like all the rest of the technological ensemble, they are built on the systematic destruction of the natural world. What is the human toll, and can there be an alternative to the fixation on such “wonderful” things?”  - John Zeran / New York Daily News

In my previous posts I explain some of the effects of tech addiction.  In this post I am going to talk about a different effect, one that many people overlook or aren’t aware of:  E-waste.

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E-waste is short for electronic waste.  It is discarded electrical or electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, monitors, televisions and more. Most of us may only come across a pile of these old devices in thrift stores, but behind the scenes these devices are being shipped off to other places including third world countries where children burn the outer plastic to try to get the copper inside the devices to sell.  This is extremely hazardous to the children as well as our environment. National Geographic has a chart on their website that is very educating on the amount of devices that are disposed of and the amount that are actually recycled.  The number of devices disposed yearly huge. 

Technology is continuing to grow while falling in price. The more dependent that we become on technology, the more we feel the need for the newest and fastest product on the market.  And the more new devices we get, the more old devices we have to dispose of. 


The video below explains in a little over a minute the toxic effects of e-waste along with some helpful hints on how to properly dispose of your devices.