Don't Spread Electronic Waste

The amount of e-waste continues to increase. So, what exactly is this and how do you as an individual stop it from becoming an even bigger problem?

E-waste is just short for electronic waste. This includes the old TVs, computers, faxes and cell phones we throw away all the time. The problem is that these products cannot just be tossed out with the regular trash. This is because these product contain lead, cadmium and mercury which cannot be dumped in landfills. The problem is that some people don't realize that they should dispose of these products in a careful manner.

The amount of electronic waste has actually increased 17 percent between 2000 and 2005 and unfortunately, only 10 percent of e-waste is recycled. As a result of this growing trash problem, there are now more than 600 e-waste collectors or recyclers in California alone. Most of these collectors or recyclers will take your old TVs or computers. You just have to make the extra effort to figure out who you can call and then make the call.

The growth of the waste and also the industry that takes care of this waste, is proof of the consumer society that drives people to purchase so much stuff - so much that we end up tossing those precious commodities about a year or two later.

Nothing is really valued -even our high-priced electronics as we continue to uphold high-turnover rates with our stuff. Half the problem is that technology is always changing, and it's changing rapidly. The other problem is that people have been led into believing that they need to buy the latest things, which in turn leads to them throwing out the old.

Another aspect of this problem comes from electronics companies themselves who continue to create new things that are not really electronically different from previous existing models. In large part, these companies create the histeria and the need among some to constantly be purchasing new things.