By Drew Hendricks – National Geographic
E-waste has become a serious threat to our environment as more and more gadgets are thrown out after usage into dustbins. This leads to toxic pollution, as electronics break down and release heavy metals, flame retardants, and other chemicals into soil and water.
To address the problem, environmentalists have been pushing for laws in the U.S. and abroad that require companies that manufacture cell phones, computers, and other electronic gadgets to recycle their own e-waste. In fact, responsibly recycling e-waste is a growing field that is providing new green jobs and keeping toxic chemicals out of our land and water.
India is thought to process around eight hundred thousand tons of e-waste every year. However, in that country there are only a few recycling firms registered under the government to process e-waste, meaning a lot of used electronic gadgets are dismantled and dumped in the informal sector, sometimes without proper care to protect laborers or the environment from toxic components