Solving The E-Waste Problem

This makes sense as our technology growth rate continues to accelerate exponentially.As previously mentioned, technology seems to become all but obsolete only a short time after it’s purchased.

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Their sleek and appealing exteriors make it hard to see them as waste.

When you look at a landfill image of stacks of old TVs and laptops, for instance, you only see the benign exterior.

Old electronic devices contain many valuable materials that can be recycled.

However, they are also full of pollutants that require proper, environmentally friendly disposal – which is not the case in many parts of the world.

All elements listed can have severe human impact through exposure.

If these items aren’t handled correctly they can cause organ damage, neurological damage, and severe illness not only in the workers that handle them directly but also within the communities of the developing countries where they are shipped.

Reusing the precious metals and plastics in old cell phones alone instead of making or mining more of them would save as much energy as flipping off the power to 24,000 US homes for an entire year.

The typical American household has 24 electronic devices and in 2009 the EPA estimated that there are 2.37 million tons worth of electronics ready to be disposed of.

adelphi develops solutions for the transition to a closed circular economy.

Our projects support the marketing of ecologically designed products, the introduction of resource-efficient production methods, the enhancement of resource efficiency, the development of sustainable business management and circular business models, and the implementation of effective waste management systems.