Computer Obsolescence and the Burden of E-Waste

Paper Summary:

This paper examines computer obsolescence, E-waste, and the effect on the Third World. The reality of the situation is that United States manufacturers and consumers are contributing to a significant health and environmental disaster in the Third World. An examination of this issue reveals the scope of the problem, the sheer amount of computers that are trashed every year as well as the inherent toxicity of E-waste. There are some viable solutions to the matter, but most require legislative action.

From the Paper:

"It's been estimated that in 2002 Americans alone threw out roughly ten million computers, about two-thirds of which were shipped to Asia for dismantling by rural villagers ("Activists" par. 1). Consider the sheer volume that ten million scrapped computers occupy. Consider that in the years before and since, many more millions of computers have joined them on the trash heap. When most of us think about the Information Revolution or the computer industry, we envision the Internet, blazing fast processors, and university student bobbing heads to barely concealed iPods."

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