Africa, typically a dumping ground for electronic waste from other nations, could produce more e-waste than the European Union by 2017, experts say.

Across Africa, a combination of population growth and increased access to mobile phones and other technology will produce a surge in e-waste over the (more…)

Electronic waste, or “e-waste“, is a major problem of the information age. As consumers continually upgrade their electronic devices, the old devices are discarded and usually end up in a toxic e-waste dump, usually located in a poor developing country. Such a dump is located in the capital city of the African country, (more…)

The new targets for collecting electronic waste backed by the European Parliament are set to cause some trouble with reluctant EU member states.

Electronic waste is a number of different types of waste streams. It can include old computers, TV’s etc. The European Parliament and the 27 EU (more…)

E-waste is the largest growing waste stream in the country. Americans generate 2.5 million tons of e-waste a year— more than enough to fill a line of dump trucks from our Nation's capital to Disney World. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 140 million cell phones – 65,000 tons – are (more…)

DELL has been helping lead the way in corporate social responsibility among IT companies in recent years.

According to the company’s annual corporate responsibility report for 2010, DELL was the first in the industry to ban the export of e-waste to developing countries. The company also met 25% of its energy (more…)

There is a saying that “You haven’t really recycled until you’ve bought recycled products.” This suggests that recycling is only the first step in a broader cycle where re-processing and re-manufacturing also play vital roles. In fact, the universal recycle symbol of “chasing arrows” represents the 3 stages of recycling: collection, processing and market (more…)

Global efforts to ban the trade of electronics waste to developing nations in the hopes of ending so-called “backyard recycling” will only exacerbate a growing environmental problem, according to a new study.

Developed nations often export e-waste, such as old computers, to China, India, Thailand, and less developed nations where crude recycling processes can emit pollutants that contaminate the air, water, and soil.

For instance, copper wire is often pulled from the old computers and the insulation burned off, emitting dioxins and other chemicals.

The U.S. Congress is now considering an e-waste trade ban. But similar efforts have backfired, according to Eric Williams of Arizona State University.

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