'E-waste' poisoning the planet. It's High time we wake up!
The very inventions which were hailed as one more step to paper less office have become a headache for some countries. It is estimated that over 20 million tones of electronic trash is generated each year and much of it gets shipped to our own back yard in Asia. In Asia various ill equipped the recycling facilities expose workers to health risks and their communities to dangerous pollutants.
Most people are unaware of the fact that very gadgets that they use and throw in trash are polluting the environment. The problem becomes more acute when we do faster upgrades of our electronic items.
Giant companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard committed to the phase-out of the toxic substances in their products. By agreeing to safer alternatives, their policies contrast with competitors Apple, IBM and Panasonic, which refuse to switch to safer materials that won't harm our environment.
The companies need to be made aware of the problems that their products are creating and they need to be made responsible for them.
The companies that make products to improve our existence don't have to pollute our water and air and make us sick. Better alternatives exist, making recycling safer and proper disposal more feasible.
Via: Shns
