Alongside with the production of digital devices, the amount of electronic waste grows very fast. Old computers, peripherals, and cell phones comprise 2 percent of all the trash in the landfills. They are toxic waste inappropriately disposed of without recycling. The majority of American and European e-waste is transported to Africa and Asia where the local population is eager to sell precious parts of electronics and get some money. Surely, developed countries are aware of toxic ingredients put into e-waste and want to dispose of them as soon as possible. Asian and African people, on the contrary, appreciate everything that can bring them at least some income, so why does not it benefit everyone?
E-waste includes monitors with cathode ray tubes, LCD monitors and screens as well as toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. PVC plastic is also a common constituent of electronic devices. As soon as people burn them, a range of toxic fumes is released into the atmosphere. The air and water are easily polluted – the same water where the largest fisheries take their production to sell all over the world. Not even to mention pollution of agricultural lands for a domestic use.
Many European governments have already imposed regulations on the amount of electronic waste that can be dumped in landfills. Nevertheless, e-waste is normally exported to the developing countries that can by no means utilize it properly. This practice is a gross violation of the international law and human ethics. The developed West that seems to provide aid to indigent countries, in fact, dumps them with the waste without taking responsibility for the environmental damage done to the global community.