Close up of a huge pile of computer keyboards waiting to be scrapped' These are likely to have been

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Close up of a huge pile of computer keyboards
waiting to be scrapped. These are likely to have
been thrown away in Europe, US or Japan and then
dumped in China because it is cheaper to dump
this hazardous waste in China than dispose of it
properly. Source Greenpeace
Thrown Away- Where is Away?
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Electronic waste (E-Waste) or "Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment" ("WEEE")

• 20-50 million tonnes of electronic products are
  discarded globally every year. Put into
  containers on a train it would go once around the
  world!
• Every year, hundreds of thousands of old
  computers and mobile phones are dumped in
  landfills or burned in smelters. Thousands more
  are exported, often illegally, from the Europe,
  US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to
  Asia.
• The world is consuming more and more electronic
  products every year. This has caused a dangerous
  explosion in electronic scrap (e-waste).
• Not only developed countries generate e-waste
  Asia discards an estimated 12 million tonnes each
  year.

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Definition of electronic wasteaccording to the
WEEE Directive. WEEE 2002/96/EC
Electronic waste and where it can come from

• Large household appliances
• Small household appliances
• Office communication
• Entertainment electronics
• Lighting equipment)
• E-tools
• Sports leisure equipment
• Medical appliances
• Surveillance equipment
• Automatic issuing systems (ticket issuing
  machines etc.)

Ovens, refrigerators etc.
Toasters, vacuum cleaners etc.
PCs, printers, phones, faxes etc.
TVs, Stereos, Mp3 players etc.
Mainly fluorescent tubes.
Drilling machines, electric lawnmowers etc.
Running/ rowing machines etc.
Heart Monitors, scanners etc.
CCTV cameras etc.
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Effects of E-waste
A Chinese child sits amongst a pile of wires and
e-waste. Children can often be found dismantling
e-waste containing many hazardous chemicals known
to be potentially very damaging to children's
health.
08 March 2005. Guiyu. China Source Greenpeace
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E-waste effects

• If toxic chemicals and heavy metals cannot be
  disposed of or recycled safely they can end up
  polluting the environment if they are burnt or
  left in the ground to decay.
• Workers at scrap yards, some of whom are
  children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic
  chemicals and poisons.

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What can I do?
Screengrab from RSA WEEE Man website
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Your Lifestyle

• Recycle, Reduce, Re-use.
• Dispose of objects correctly.
• Look at the sorts of things you throw away and
  brainstorm the things you could make with the
  rubbish instead.
• Look for companies that offer customers
  environmentally friendly products. Many now
  recognise the importance of being aware.
• Visit the RSA WEEE man website. Examine your
  personal impact on the problem of e-waste.

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Activities

• Write a newspaper article about the problems of
  e-waste use examples of objects and places.
• Create a chart to record what you and your family
  has thrown away recently. Where was it thrown?
• Create an eproduct life-cycle Use the RSA WEEE
  Man Website to help you.

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Useful Links

• RSA WEEE MAN - http//www.weeeman.org
• Basal Action Network- www.ban.org
• Greenpeace- http//www.greenpeace.org/internationa
  l/campaigns/toxics/electronics