The Old Gadget Trade

Take a moment and think about the gadget you are using to read this. What will happen to it after it dies? There is a chance that it will become part of the booming global waste trade business. Many old electronic devices become e-waste on boats making deliveries to developing nations.

Some Gadgets Don’t Go to Heaven

You did the right thing for the sustainability of the planet when you dropped off your old gadget for recycling, didn’t you? Sadly, according to the Basel Action Network, some recyclers don’t have ethical business practices. (Ref). A study by this watchdog group found that one-third of the American e-waste that it tracked did not get recycled locally. It went overseas, mostly to a less developed part of Hong Kong called The New Territories.

A fleet of trucks carries the e-waste arriving at Hong Kong’s port to processing facilities that frequently break environmental laws. Most of the e-waste workers here are undocumented immigrants seeking higher pay. Their jobs put their health at risk because mercury, dioxins, and other hazardous chemicals leak out of the junk as they handle it.

Some of the e-waste is refurbished and resold, but the rest goes to illegal dumps. These dumps slowly release toxins into local water supplies, making them unsafe for farmers to use and deadly for wildlife to drink.

A Trashy Exchange

Why do people participate in this dirty business? Developed countries produce most the world’s waste. Recent free trade policies make it easier for wealthy societies to export their trash. Their throwaway economies benefit from this because regulations make proper disposal expensive.

Developing countries are willing to take other people’s garbage, even though it is not good for the long-term sustainability of their societies. They believe that expanding their waste processing industries will fuel economic growth.

Ethical Fashion Doesn’t Go to Waste

Fashion and electronics are becoming more intertwined in this era of smartwatches. We should be aware of the global e-waste trade as we make our fashion choices. It is always best to buy clothing that is made to last. Always buy from an ethical business that does what it can to keep harmful toxic wastes away from developing countries. Above all, when you are making your ethical fashion choices on that aging laptop, don’t be tempted to trash it because the gadget works just fine!