Everybody has gadgets nowadays. Mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, i this and i that, the list just keeps growing! Before you can grow tired of the first thing, it's already become passé and a better, slimmer, shinier more hip version of it is already adorning showrooms' shelves. So when people throw away their old gadgets for new ones, where do they go?
The electronics recycling industry is huge. Of course, it is possible to recycle your old mobile phone thanks to sim only contracts, but that is not the kind of recycling we're talking about here. Old electronics are recycled for useful raw materials. However, recycling electronics is a delicate science.
Improper recycling of electronics is a hazardous activity. Wrong treatment of electronic waste can result in a toxic and carcinogenic environment owing to the presence of substances such as chromium, lead, mercury and cadmium etc.
The recycling industry spans the world, and waste collected from one place may end up on the other side of the world to be recycled. Recycling conditions are not always safe and workers in this industry could well be at risk in many of the recycling facilities.
While there are regulations and directives in place for the proper recycling of waste, as with most processes in this globalised world, it is not always possible to fully regulate.