Electronic RuinsThe Grecian Statues of the Modern World Maggie BlahaProfessor Roger Philips

So do these wonders a most dizzy pain,That mingles Grecian grandeurWith the rude Wasting of old time—with a billowy main—A sun—a shadow of a magnitudeJon Keats, “On Seeing the Elgin Marbles”

Definition of Electronic Waste (e-waste) There is no standard or generally accepted definition of e-

waste in the world (Widmer et al. 2005) Any of these discarded surplus or obsolete EE items:

Computers Mobile phones TVs Household appliances CDs and DVDs

Formal vs. Informal Recycling “Waste recycling

companies worry that there are insufficient sources of e-wastes for their operation, as informal collectors and second-hand dealers remove e-waste from the waste stream before formal recycling companies can get it” (Yang, 2008).

China’s Production & Consumption of Electrical & Electronic (EE) Devices PC domestic shipments in China for 2012 are projected to

reach 83.6 million units (HIS iSuppli Market Research). Over one billion people have a mobile phone, which is 75%

of China’s total population 400,000,000 television sets

Guiyu: The E-Waste Capital Located in Guangdong

region World’s second most

polluted spot Accommodates millions of

tons of overseas and domestic e-waste/year

60-80% of the families are engaged in small-scale e-waste recycling operations

The Danger to E-Waste Workers Each computer display contains 4-8 pounds of lead and

monitor glass contains 20 pounds of lead by weight When these components are illegally disposed of, the lead

seeps into the environment Mercury used in switches and circuit boards seeps into the

environment when they are burned Exposure to carbon black in printers has been known to

cause lung cancer

Resolution Replace all informal recycling centers with formal ones Enforce producer, consumer, and importer responsibility Phase-out obsolete production Employ current e-waste workers in new recycling centers Enforce strict regulation measures for importing illegal e-

waste

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http://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/07/17/electronic-waste-dump-of-the-world/ The rude wasting of old time. (Spring 2011). Virginia Quarterly Review, 1-3.