E-waste Solutions - The Executive Director of Global Advocates

E-waste Solutions

Length: 3 pp. double-spaced The Executive Director of Global Advocates, Institutions and Advisors (GAIA) has asked you to help her environmental organization come up with a strategy to address the growing problem of electronic wastes both in the developed and developing world. As you may know, technology products evolve rapidly and one year's cell phones, computer equipment, monitors, televisions, etc., quickly become another year's waste.

There are a number of problems with this waste stream:

· o It is contaminated with plastics and heavy metals o The volume is overwhelming landfills o Recycling is dangerous and polluting o Producing new equipment is energy and resource intensive

Here are some of the options you might consider:

· o Mandatory recycling o Voluntary recycling o Taxes o Subsidies for recycling organizations o Banning the disposal or international transport of e-waste o Standards for components of technology components

The Executive Director has approximately ten minutes to present her ideas for the UN General Assembly. What should be her plan to address this issue? Why this strategy? What should she know about what might be the benefits and drawbacks of this strategy? What organizations and government agencies should she turn to for assistance?

Here are some potential places to look for information: https://toxicnews.org/2016/08/03/toxic-e-waste-oriented-science/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1440802/ http://www.wired.com/2014/12/product-design-and-recycling/ https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/geh_newsletter/2014/2/spotlight/ewaste_an_emerging_health_ris k_.cfm https://www.nrdc.org/stories/59-million-tons-our-e-waste-problem-getting-out-control http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/electronics-recycling.html PS: There is no such organization Global Advocates, Institutions and Advisors (GAIA), but there is another GAIA – see https://www.no-burn.org/ (hey, what is this “gaia” that people are naming organizations after?)