Author: andlea

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Toxic Waste or Treasure? Why E-Waste Flows South.

Coria J. (2025, July 28th). Toxic Waste or Treasure? Why E-Waste Flows South. From, https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/2025/07/28/toxic-waste-or-treasure- why-e-waste-flows-south/

It was discovered in Thailand that illegal e-waste imports were occurring, specifically from the U.S. When discovered, not only was it e-waste, but the containers were falsely labeled as “metal scraps.” About 238 tons of e-waste, broken computers, unused appliances, and more, shipped to the Port of Bangkok. However, this sort of behavior isn’t rare, as the U.S is known for using loopholes to place environmental burdens onto poorer countries or countries of “limited infrastructure and oversight.” This behavior leaves these burdened countries with the fate of two possibilities; you’re given valuable items such as gold, copper, and palladium, even earth’s rarest elements. However, some countries aren’t aware of this, going ahead and incinerating or burning away e-waste. But research shows that these valuable “waste” came to be worth about USD $91 Billion, managing to recover only 28 billion. 

Reading this paper helped me gain a stronger understanding of this problem, with pure perspective. Not only do they provide informative statistics, but they also expose the truth with how specific countries like the U.S deal with their environmental issues; illegally exporting and abusing regulations to place environmental burdens onto other countries. Coria fosters a creative solution and a good point to the fact we shouldn’t just ban e-waste, but build infrastructures that would work to manage it. It is poorly managed, and while everyone is focused on just saying goodbye to e-waste, there are better ways to approach it, like cleaning up after ourselves and throwing out the trash, properly disposing of it ourselves. 

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Global E-Waste Exposed.

DeFranco J. F., & Voas J. (2025, February). Global E-Waste Exposed. From, https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/co/2025/02/10857853/23VCdqACA1y

Similar to previous articles, research shows alarming numbers such as 34 million tonnes of e-waste jumping to 62 million tonnes in 12 years, from 2010 to 2022. However, as we follow along we come across ways we can combat this issue, more into detail, and more globally. We can fight this issue together as humans. An issue we’re all familiar with is the rapid speed of technology advancing and emerging throughout the world and throughout time. What is problematic about it is that these products aren’t very durable, having a short lifespan. In addition, studies have shown that our efforts to recycle e-waste are about 8 million tonnes and then jumped up close to 14 million tonnes. However, this only shows that since 2010, we’ve been outpaced by a factor of 5, according to the UN. Specific ways to combat e-waste, provided by this paper, that have been implemented were stationed bins around town to be filled with unused electronics, locations to drop off old or unused appliances, and the banning of hazardous imports that included e-waste. 

The importance of e-waste management relies solely on the integrity and accountability of each and everyone involved with technology and electronics. If everyone involved also acknowledged the damage we’re doing to the environment, as well as participating in the solutions to reduce and prevent e-waste, it would make the whole process a lot more simple. This paper provides what we can do, as simple as placing unused electronics in bins can make a huge difference moving forward. It takes consideration and integrity, but this is our environment we’re talking about, and I feel this paper exemplifies the value and importance of e-waste management. 

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From present to future: A review on e-waste recycling processes.

Smith R.L., & Behdad, S. (2025, August 1). From present to future: A review on e-waste recycling processes. From, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X25002740

In a global perspective, this article provides 5 key processes for e-waste recycling. Using a structured sustainability framework, the authors aim to provide a more broader understanding and impact, rather than efficiency. These 5 major processes are physical disassembly, pyrolysis, hydrometallurgy, biometallurgical treatment, and supercritical fluid technology. Essentially, these are ways in which we can extract metal and ensure that we aren’t toxicating our environment, such as waters, soil, and possibly our foods. Concluding with the common concept or idea that practical e-waste management is needed, this paper suggests that recycling is key to the overall improvement of e-waste management, entirely because it fosters awareness of how rapid electronics are thrown out when it isn’t used. 

I found this article extremely informative and interesting. Those 5 major processes helped me narrow down an idea of what it is exactly we should be doing, and how it should be done. While I necessarily can’t get to that level of action, like extracting the metals myself, I can certainly study and move closer into spreading awareness, appreciating the hard work, and understanding how to avoid these problems or prevent them from happening. It is key to remember that we’re not just trying to solve the problem, but prevent it, as the article specifically explains. 

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As Electronic Waste Surges, Countries Look For Answers.

UNEP. (2025, March 11) As Electronic Waste Surges, Countries Look For Answers.  From, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/electronic-

waste-surges-countries-look-answers.

In Almaty, Kazakhstan, a man named Oleg Zaitsev and his crew work to recycle used electronics that no longer serve a purpose to its previous owners. Further pursuing his goal, the United Nations environment programme (UNEP) began a campaign that encouraged others to rise to action and stop the pollution of e-waste. Since 2010, studies show that we as a whole have grown worse in regards to e-waste management, with an 82% increase in pollution. As UNEP combats this issue with support from the Basel Convention, an international treaty or agreement, it has helped regulate the movement to reduce e-waste, and eventually put it to an end. Experts say that with investments made towards this movement, it could benefit many lives including improving human health, protecting valuable ecosystems, and revive, if not already active, the recycling industry. 

I truly believe that the best way to combat an issue, if seeking to overcome the issue or erase it completely, is finding what is feeding it. As we are progressively advancing as humans, we are also overcomplicating things by advancing forward into the future with more and more electronics and technology without the sense of care or moment of consideration. It is up to us to deal with specific problems as such, and this article fully demonstrates that idea. The UN has created a campaign to combat this problem, and the Basel Convention had gone into effect to reduce e-waste products. 

 

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Why E-Waste Is Becoming An Issue.

Anderson K. (2025, May 15). Why E-Waste Is Becoming An Issue. From, https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/industries/why-e-waste-is-becoming-an-issue. 

 

According to the UN, e-waste production has been awful with the amount of 62 million tonnes of waste. While having the prediction of reaching 82 million tonnes by 2030. Essentially, e-waste comes from the poor management of technology users. Copywriter, Kara Anderson, explains the way in which people tend to abuse or neglect technology waste or extra. When no longer using specific technology materials, Anderson includes the possibility of these materials leeching into our soils and water which would be environmentally damaging and harmful. Countries that suffer these problems mostly are Ghana, Nigeria, and Malaysia. Some reasons for and examples of e-waste that are, in recent years, progressively getting worse are e-cigarettes or vape pens, which are quickly produced as technology advances. In this article are also ways to prevent or reduce e-waste, as well as percentage rates, by the UN, that show how certain countries lack in the practice of recycling electronics. 

 

By truly grasping the danger and the importance of being aware of e-waste, this article goes on to show us plenty of examples and statistics in terms of e-waste according to the UN’s study. It was easy to understand how e-waste was beginning to trend, which I feel is essential to keeping track on how to begin managing this issue properly. I imagine that several countries will now consider this problem when facing the facts of how potentially dangerous this truly is for our environment and how many people are arguably neglecting and choosing to waste electronics. I also appreciate the section that provides ways in which we could implement solutions to e-waste problems, ways to reduce, if not immediately eliminate, poor e-waste management.