Title: How E-waste Works | HowStuffWorks
Headings: How E-waste Works
How E-waste Works
E-waste Dangers
E-waste Regulations
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle E-waste
E-waste Excellence
Citation

Content: These are just a few examples of devices that are part of the growing phenomenon known as e-waste. E-waste is the term used to describe discarded electronics and electrical products. In the past few decades, the world's demand for gadgetry has gone through the roof and, inevitably, more waste has started to accumulate. As the bustling economies of China and India modernize and follow more Western trends, the worldwide generation of e-waste has hit astronomical proportions. Advertisement
So what happens to all that e-waste? E-waste contains a bonanza of toxic and hazardous components that, for the most part, are currently being shunted into landfills. Much of the remaining portion is exported to developing nations, where many laborers, working under unsafe, unregulated conditions, recycle this e-waste. The work these laborers do, while it does provide some raw materials that can be reused, comes with some serious consequences. Workers in Lagos, Nigeria, unload imported TVs and PC monitors, most of which will be sent to the local dumps. From there, they will be scavenged for recycling and then burned.