e-waste in your place
2007-09-18 11:21:00.0
AUTHOR: Judy Turner
How many of you have a garage or a spare bedroom cluttered with old computer monitors and other electronic equipment? This e-waste is an environmental nightmare when it comes to disposing of it safely. With the turnover rate of computers T.V.s and mobile phones being so rapid these days we all need to be a bit more responsible about how we discard our outdated models.
E-waste is simply not suited to being dumped in landfill along with our other waste products due to the fact that as they corrode they release seriously toxic substances.
In my town we are having an eDay in a couple of weekends when you can take all your e-waste to a central recycling station. Good idea eh?
We can no longer afford to see conservation as the domain of the zealots. There simply isn’t enough of them to save the rest of us from ourselves.
Some of you may question whether the occasional computer in our land-fill is anything to get worked up about. The trouble is that it has been estimated that there are about 10 million computers and television sets in NZ at present, all heading fast for being superseded by more innovative models. In Wellington last year when they had an e-waste day, 54 tonnes of computer hardware was disposed of in one day!
Greenpeace tells us that E-waste now makes up 5% of all municipal solid waste world-wide – nearly the same amount as all plastic packaging, but much more hazardous. I find that pretty sobering. These are the kinds of facts that should cause us to get off our apathetic chuffs and think about the sort of world we are leaving for our grandkids to deal with.
It is no longer acceptable or trendy to be an environmental slob. We all have to form a range of better habits as householders. It is too convenient to blame those milling rain-forests and industrial activity for the plight of the planet.
Conservation starts at home with family!