Push to Regulate E-Waste in Silicon Valley

Environment

June 17, 2010  |  The Bay Citizen  |  Link to article

Silicon Valley is the epicenter of computer innovation, but the "e-waste," the debris of Californians' high-tech lifestyle, gets exported to places like India, China and Nigeria, where the electronic scraps sit in open landfills, a source of income for children and adults who sift through the piles of discarded parts in hopes of extracting copper, aluminum and other metals. Exposure to toxic chemicals found in the discarded electronics are known to result in serious health risks for scavengers, and environmental damage to the developing countries' water and crops.

But a population much closer to home is also facing such health hazards. Electronic waste is being sent to U.S. prisons where it is “recycled” or, according to Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), smashed into bits and pieces by inmates who are not provided appropriate equipment or clothing to protect them from chemical harm.

The United States has allowed its current practice of electronic waste disposal to continue unabated for years, but community groups in the Silicon Valley are trying to do something about it. Members of People Acting in Community Together (PACT) recently organized a meeting to educate the community about e-waste and invited local officials, according to a report by Spanish-language newspaper El Observador.

California alone is responsible for exporting an estimated 20 million pounds of e-waste per year, and with the future of our economy in question, regulated e-waste recycling could provide not only a better night’s sleep for everyone who uses computer products, but a valuable source of green jobs for communities in the Silicon Valley.