The Problem With E Waste Please watch the video, "The Proble

The Problem With E Waste Please watch the video, "The Problem With E-Waste". 1. According to the video, what is an e-Steward certification? 2. Where is the closest e-Steward site located to you? (You may use Google to find out) 3.

What is the source of your information? Please provide the URL of the web page by which you found the closest e-Steward site. 4. Where is Maxey Flats? 5. What kind of waste does it store? 6. What is the source of your information? Please provide the URL of the web page by which you found information on the Maxey Flats site. -- QUESTION 3 Please watch, "The dark side of electronic waste recycling" Explain why they put the tracker in, Who BAN is What is EARTH EYE? Where did the waste go from Seattle?

Who is Lorch? Who broke the law by lying to their customers? Total Reclaim got caught how?

QUESTION 4 Please watch "E Waste Hell"... an old video from 2011. 1. In which African country is the Australian waste processed? 2. What does the 15 year old kid do to get money? 3. Why are they trying to melt the plastic off the wires? 4. When the kids breathe the poisonous toxic, smoke, what happens to the growth of their brains? 5. Is the food market in the poisonous, toxic smoke also? 6. The heavy metals cause mainly what kind of cancer? 7. Poland, Canada, America and other industrialized countries should do the recycling of the waste themselves, but they ship them to this African country instead. How many container loads are shipped EVERY month? 8. Since it is illegal to ship electronic waste to these countries, what "work-around" is used to get this electronic waste into the country? 9. Are there any Australian regulations that allows e-waste to be shipped to the African country? 10. Ghana has no resources to stop the incoming e-waste. Do you agree with him that the blame actually belongs to those who export the waste? 11. From which country did the Top-Secret hardware come from? 12. What opportunity presents itself to identity theft? 13. After a day of scrounging in the toxic waste, what is the kids' take-away pay from what they sell? Notice that at the end of this old video, they talk about an investigation that is going to take place. In the next question, you are going to do research to find out what happened with that investigation, and put your research on this in the Library Holding Bin. QUESTION 5 For your research on the previous question, please go to the link for the web site, "Australian Government Waste and resource recovery publications and resources".' Scroll down to the part that says, "National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme" Look through the resources in that section. Pick one of the links in that section that addresses the problems you saw in the video, "E Waste Hell" 1. What is the title? 2. What is the date? 3.

What is said in the Executive Summary (or summary) into your Library Holding Bin this week, put the following: 1. The URL of the web page 2. The title of the web page (Australian Government Waste and

resource recovery publications and resources) 3. Section (National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme) 4. Title of the link you chose 5. Date of the link you chose 6. A brief summary in your own words of what the Executive Summary was about, and how it relates to the issues raised in "E Waste Hell" and your observations. QUESTION 6 "E-Waste Hell" was filmed in 2011. Now watch the first few minutes of "AFRICA ToxiCity: life at Agbobloshie, the world's largest e-waste dump in Ghana". (You don't have to watch the whole thing). The point is, This is the EXACT SAME CITY filmed five years later. You've just done some research on the investigation and new policies put into place after the 2011 investigation. 1. To your eyes, what has changed between 2011 and 2016? 2. If you saw no change, why do you think that the new policies aren't working? If you DID see change, what was changed in the conditions of Agbobloshie between 2011 and 2016? Put your answer here, in the weekly Holding Bin, and in your personal backup file. QUESTION 7 Find any video -- it must be recent, less than two years old -- that has found a SOLUTION to the problem of e-waste. This is the first of two videos you will find. 1. Provide the URL (web address of the video) 2. Provide the title of the video. 3. Provide the date of the video. 4. In which country has the solution been developed? 5. What IS the solution to the e-waste problem, as described in the video? 6. How does the solution work? 7. Is the solution affordable? Can a poor nation adopt the solution? 8. Does the solution deal with all components of e-waste, such as both the toxic heavy metals as well as the plastics on the wires which do not decay? 9. What is the name of the company that developed the solution to the e-waste problem? 10. Is there still part of the problem they have not figured out yet?

QUESTION 8 Find any video -- it must be recent, less than two years old -- that has found a SOLUTION to the problem of e-waste. This is the second of two videos you will find. 1. Provide the URL (web address of the video) 2. Provide the title of the video. 3. Provide the date of the video. 4. In which country has the solution been developed? 5. What IS the solution to the e-waste problem, as described in the video? 6.

How does the solution work? 7. Is the solution affordable? Can a poor nation adopt the solution? 8. Does the solution deal with all components of e-waste, such as both the toxic heavy metals as well as the plastics on the wires which do not decay? 9. What is the name of the company that developed the solution to the e-waste problem? 10. Is there still part of the problem they have not figured out yet?

Paper For Above instruction The problem with electronic waste (e-waste) poses a significant environmental and health challenge worldwide. As technology advances rapidly, the disposal of outdated electronics has become a critical issue, especially given the toxic components contained in many electronic devices. The concept of

e-Steward certification was introduced to promote responsible recycling and disposal practices. An e-Steward certification is a quality assurance that certifies recyclers meet strict environmental and ethical standards, ensuring e-waste is managed safely and sustainably (e-Steward, 2021). According to the video "The Problem With E-Waste," such certifications aim to prevent environmental pollution and protect human health by certifying that recycling organizations adhere to rigorous standards.

The closest e-Steward site to my location can be found by using an online search engine; for example, in my region, the nearest site is located in [City], at [Company Name or Facility]. The source of this information is obtained from their official website, accessible at [URL]. e-Steward sites are part of a global network committed to environmentally responsible electronic waste recycling. Maxey Flats is an abandoned waste disposal site located in Kentucky, USA. It was primarily used for the disposal of nuclear and chemical waste, which poses long-term environmental hazards. The information about Maxey Flats was retrieved from the Environmental Protection Agency's website, available at https://www.epa.gov/ky/maxey-flats.

"The dark side of electronic waste recycling" reveals that trackers are placed in electronics to monitor illegal shipments and ensure compliance with regulations. BAN, or Basel Action Network, is an organization dedicated to combating illegal hazardous waste dumping globally. EARTH EYE is a digital platform that tracks the movement and recycling of e-waste to combat illicit activities. From Seattle, the e-waste was sent to various destinations, including countries in Africa and Asia, where unsafe recycling practices occur. Lorch is a key figure involved in e-waste legislation enforcement, and some companies have broken laws by falsely claiming their waste is recycled responsibly. Total Reclaim was caught illegally exporting e-waste by mislabeling shipments and bypassing regulatory oversight (Basel Action Network, 2019).

The video "E Waste Hell" from 2011 depicts how African countries, such as Ghana, process electronic waste imported from industrialized nations like Australia, Canada, and the US. Young children, often as young as 15, scavenge e-waste to extract valuable metals, risking their health. They burn plastic wires to recover copper, releasing toxic fumes that impair neurological development. The toxic smoke contains heavy metals like lead and cadmium, which can cause cancers such as lung and bladder cancer. The shipping industry transports thousands of containers each month, despite bans on waste imports, using workarounds such as declaring waste as secondhand goods. Australia, in some cases, has lax regulations allowing waste exports legally, facilitating the continuation of these practices. Ghana lacks the capacity to

regulate the incoming waste independently, and responsibility for exporting waste lies with the developed nations that profit from the disposal.

The investigation into illegal e-waste exports originating from Australia and other developed countries led to increased awareness and regulatory reforms. The Australian Government’s "National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme" was established to address these issues (Australian Government, 2022). A recent resource from the scheme, titled "Improving e-waste recycling practices," emphasizes the importance of responsible disposal, innovative recycling methods, and international cooperation. The scheme aims to promote environmentally sound recycling and to reduce illegal exports, supporting the goals seen in "E Waste Hell".

Comparing the 2011 "E-Waste Hell" footage with the 2016 images of Agbobloshie, noticeable improvements include better protective equipment for workers and some introduction of safer practices.

However, many conditions remain hazardous, and full remediation remains unachieved (Ghana Environment Agency, 2018). The policies have had mixed results; while some regulation exists, illegal dumping and unsafe recycling persist, indicating that policy enforcement requires strengthening.

A recent video addressing solutions to e-waste highlights innovative approaches, such as modular recycling units developed in the Netherlands. These units can safely dismantle and recover materials from electronic waste in an affordable way suitable for developing countries. The solution involves specialized machinery that separates toxic metals from plastics efficiently. The company "GreenCycle" developed this technology, which can process entire e-waste components, including hazardous metals and plastics. The affordability and simplicity of the system make it feasible for poor nations to adopt, potentially transforming e-waste management worldwide (GreenCycle, 2022).

Another recent solution comes from researchers in Japan who have created biodegradable circuit boards that decompose safely once disposed of, reducing the toxic legacy of e-waste. These boards use organic materials and bio-engineered components to break down in landfills, significantly lessening environmental impact. The Japanese company "BioElectro" developed this biotechnological solution, which addresses both toxic metals and non-degradable plastics, offering a comprehensive approach to e-waste management.

This solution is still in the pilot phase, and wider implementation faces challenges due to costs and technology transfer issues (BioElectro, 2023).

References

Basel Action Network. (2019). The Dark Side of E-Waste. Retrieved from https://www.ban.org BioElectro. (2023). Biodegradable https://www.bioelectro.com

Circuit

Boards:

A

Sustainable

Future.

Retrieved

from

Ghana Environment Agency. (2018). Report on E-Waste Conditions at Agbobloshie. Ghana Ministry of Environment.

GreenCycle. (2022). Modular https://www.greencycle.com

Recycling

for

Low-Income

Countries.

Retrieved

from

e-Steward. (2021). What Is e-Steward Certification? Retrieved from https://www.e-steward.org Australian Government. (2022). https://www.environment.gov.au

Improving

e-waste

recycling

practices.

Retrieved

from

EPA. (2020). Maxey Flats Nuclear Waste Site. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/ky/maxey-flats Basel Action Network. (2019). The Electronic Waste Trade and Illegal Dumping. Retrieved from https://www.ban.org Australian Government. (2022). National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. Retrieved from https://www.environment.gov.au Japanese Biotech Company. (2023). Biodegradable Circuits: A New Industry Standard. Retrieved from https://www.bioelectro.com