The Dirt on E-Waste

Autor/in	Schaffhauser, Dian
Titel	The Dirt on E-Waste
Quelle	In: T.H.E. Journal, 36 (2009) 3, S.20-25 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0192-592X
Schlagwörter	Sanitation; Purchasing; Electronics; Electronic Equipment; Information Technology; Natural Resources; Recycling; Hazardous Materials; Environment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Betriebshygiene; Beschaffungswesen; Kauf; Elektronik; Elektronisches Gerät; Informationstechnologie; Natural Ressource; Natürliche Ressource; Hazardous substance; Gefahrstoff; Umwelt
Abstract	Most smart technology leaders can name multiple efforts they have already taken or expect to pursue in their schools to "green up" IT operations, such as powering off idle computers and virtualizing the data center. One area that many of them may not be so savvy about, however, is hardware disposal: "What to do with the old stuff?" After all, it is not something from which they can garner easy or obvious savings. As some districts have discovered, the disposal end of technology acquisition is as vital a part of purchasing decisions as choosing energy-efficient devices. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans on the whole throw out about 130,000 computers a day, which tallies up to 47.5 million a year. So what should school districts do when they do not want their old machines anymore? It is not sufficient to simply say, Recycle! Those good intentions often come to bad ends. According to a study by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, which advocates for a clean and safe high-tech industry, up to 80 percent of e-waste taken to recycling centers in this country ends up being exported to towns in developing countries for scrap recovery. There, according to a CBS "60 Minutes" report last November titled "The Electronic Wasteland," residents, including children, use crude and toxic means to dismantle computers, monitors, and other electronics in an effort to remove precious metals, such as gold. That is antithetical to what US educators want, explains Sarah O'Brien, outreach director of the Green Electronics Council, a Portland, Oregon-based organization that works for the environmentally safe use and reuse of electronic products. "A lot of the criteria that have to do with toxics have a direct impact on kids," she says. "Not [just] the kids in the district--children across the world." Districts that approach the disposal of their old, unwanted computer equipment with the proper diligence are finding that they have several options, all of which illustrate why unloading e-waste does not have to be dirty work. This article offers several solutions for e-waste disposal. (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10