PHIL 2380 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Cathode Ray Tube, Municipal Solid Waste, Electronic Waste
14 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Agbogbloshie is an informal settlement near accra, ghana that has become a dumping ground where millions of tons of electronic waste (e-waste) are processed each year. Initially, these products came from attempts to bridge the digital divide and provide functional computers for ghanaians, but developed countries snuck in increasing numbers of non-functional computers to avoid dumping penalties. Impoverished ghanaians and the environment are exposed to harsh chemicals as the electronics are dismantled to recover the valuable components. The new digital divide is the inability to distance oneself from e-waste. E-waste is both a waste product and a commodity, offering both a hazard and a resource. E-waste is made up of machines discarded at their end of life (eol). Although they make up a relatively small portion of the municipal solid waste stream, they have disproportionate environmental impacts: They contain heavy metal components and other toxins. The amount of e-waste is growing rapidly each year.
