Earth Alert on Electronics!

Have you ever wondered what happens to your parents’ old cell phones or that outdated computer that used to sit on the desk?

There’s a possibility these old pieces of electronics may have ended up in China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia or Western Africa.

Americans own approximately 24 electronic gizmos per household, and eventually, these items get old, break down, or lose their appeal.

Last fall, the Government Accountability Office found that lots of electronic waste is illegally finding its way around the world. In China and India, workers—including children—break apart used electronics with their hands, use acid baths, and burn wires and casings to get metal from the electronics. Some of these chemicals contaminate the ground and water.

In Cambodia, adults and kids search for electronics in dumps for as little as $1 a day.

The same report showed that some companies that hold recycling drives in their communities are the same companies shipping electronic waste overseas. This year for Earth Day, be careful how you get rid of your old cell phones, computers, cameras, etc.!

Before you throw away your old electronics or drop them off for recycling, see if there’s a way to reuse them first. There are several cell-phone donation programs that will give someone else a chance to use your old phone after you’re finished with it, including Cell Phones for Soldiers. Get online with your folks and go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or search online for another cell phone recycling program. There are also programs that will reuse computers for educational purposes.

If you can’t find a way to reuse those old electronics, be careful how you recycle them! Many computer and TV manufacturers, along with electronics retailers, offer some kind of take-back program or sponsor recycling events. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site for more information: www.epa.gov/epawaste/index.htm and to become part of the Planet Protectors Club.

Happy Earth Day!