With ‘being green’ becoming one of the newest
trends for companies, most people are bucking the trend as well. Many people do
wonder what happens to their electronics once they toss them in the garbage bin,
and it’s possibly much more complicated than you think. But in third world
countries there are towns and villages dedicated to the scrapping and
resurrection of our trashed electronics. The reason there are towns revolving
around this electronic trash economy is because it provides these people with a
means of income. This however comes at a price.
First thing is first, how do all these electronics make their way to the inlands of Indian and Asian countries, and it is mainly through exporting by the big guys. These shipments are received and taken to several distribution points; most communities propped up by this electronic opportunity are extremely impoverished and dangerous. When brought into these communities, they are salvaged by the locals who start to burn the metals through a chemical process which produces toxic fumes breaks down the bodies of many once healthy individuals. The metals they are looking to salvage is the trace amounts of gold and silver that were used in the production of these electronic circuit boards. This very dangerous job is only compounded by their surrounding area and lack of proper equipment and education on the hazards of dealing with the thick black fumes emitted from the burning debris.
However there are many “computer districts” in impoverished countries, where the used and refurbished computer is king. These districts are well known for their cheap computers bringing a sense of affordability to peoples of little means. There is no frowning upon the rampant computer piracy, as it is seen to the locals as normal as anything else. Since this is a field that does require not much skill, in terms of the assembly and disassembly of computers there can become rampant competition in these parts. Thus the entire economy as a whole is in a fragile balance of give and take because vendors located right next to each other.
The saddest thing of all this is the children that are brought up in this way of life. Thinking of nothing for going out to the local scrap yards, many times located within a short walking distance from their house, and getting on their hands and knees. They grab circuit boards and begin to tear away the metal by hand. In a single round of work they can, with great effort, strip away the precious metals that they seek only to come home and brew a stew of metal. Cuts are frequent, so are burns, and so is the illness of health. There is little support provided by the government, and local health professionals are far and few between. Since there is very little in terms of education, with information being a scarcity, you will find the at most do not understand that they are slowly poisoning themselves and their potential offspring by pursuing this method of life.
What can you do to prevent your computer from ending up at a place such as this... not much unfortunately? Unless you can personally track and follow the movements of your discarded computer, there is very little certainty when it comes to its end destination. A lot of times, these “Green” computers recycling companies’ sole intention to export all the junk they collect. Which in turn, they sell to the person willing to pay the most for it. And then the circle of life continues and you may have just contributed to it. However disconcerting this may be, life does go on and until the government decides to step in, very little in reform will be enacted. Thank you for reading and visit us at USA Computer Store in Broward Florida! And we are well known for computer repair Fort Lauderdale and computer repair Broward.
First thing is first, how do all these electronics make their way to the inlands of Indian and Asian countries, and it is mainly through exporting by the big guys. These shipments are received and taken to several distribution points; most communities propped up by this electronic opportunity are extremely impoverished and dangerous. When brought into these communities, they are salvaged by the locals who start to burn the metals through a chemical process which produces toxic fumes breaks down the bodies of many once healthy individuals. The metals they are looking to salvage is the trace amounts of gold and silver that were used in the production of these electronic circuit boards. This very dangerous job is only compounded by their surrounding area and lack of proper equipment and education on the hazards of dealing with the thick black fumes emitted from the burning debris.
However there are many “computer districts” in impoverished countries, where the used and refurbished computer is king. These districts are well known for their cheap computers bringing a sense of affordability to peoples of little means. There is no frowning upon the rampant computer piracy, as it is seen to the locals as normal as anything else. Since this is a field that does require not much skill, in terms of the assembly and disassembly of computers there can become rampant competition in these parts. Thus the entire economy as a whole is in a fragile balance of give and take because vendors located right next to each other.
The saddest thing of all this is the children that are brought up in this way of life. Thinking of nothing for going out to the local scrap yards, many times located within a short walking distance from their house, and getting on their hands and knees. They grab circuit boards and begin to tear away the metal by hand. In a single round of work they can, with great effort, strip away the precious metals that they seek only to come home and brew a stew of metal. Cuts are frequent, so are burns, and so is the illness of health. There is little support provided by the government, and local health professionals are far and few between. Since there is very little in terms of education, with information being a scarcity, you will find the at most do not understand that they are slowly poisoning themselves and their potential offspring by pursuing this method of life.
What can you do to prevent your computer from ending up at a place such as this... not much unfortunately? Unless you can personally track and follow the movements of your discarded computer, there is very little certainty when it comes to its end destination. A lot of times, these “Green” computers recycling companies’ sole intention to export all the junk they collect. Which in turn, they sell to the person willing to pay the most for it. And then the circle of life continues and you may have just contributed to it. However disconcerting this may be, life does go on and until the government decides to step in, very little in reform will be enacted. Thank you for reading and visit us at USA Computer Store in Broward Florida! And we are well known for computer repair Fort Lauderdale and computer repair Broward.
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