Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is e-waste?
What is e-waste?
- Only household items with circuitry or electrical components
- Any discarded item, regardless of its electrical components
- All types of electrical and electronic equipment that has entered the waste stream (correct)
- Obsolete household items like washing machines and sewing machines
Why has there been a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe?
Why has there been a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe?
- Falling prices of electronic goods
- Rapid changes in technology and media
- Planned obsolescence
- All of the above (correct)
Where is a significant portion of the world's electronic waste shipped for disposal?
Where is a significant portion of the world's electronic waste shipped for disposal?
- South America and Middle East
- China, India, Malaysia, and Africa (correct)
- United States and Europe
- Australia and New Zealand
How much electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) did the world produce in 2021?
How much electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) did the world produce in 2021?
What are some valuable and scarce materials found in electronic waste?
What are some valuable and scarce materials found in electronic waste?
Why did some industrialized countries export their e-waste to developing countries?
Why did some industrialized countries export their e-waste to developing countries?
What makes the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment harmful to human health and the environment?
What makes the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment harmful to human health and the environment?
What is the estimated percentage of lead in landfills that can be attributed to consumer electronics?
What is the estimated percentage of lead in landfills that can be attributed to consumer electronics?
Why did some industrialized countries begin to tighten the regulatory framework against electronic wastes in the 1990s?
Why did some industrialized countries begin to tighten the regulatory framework against electronic wastes in the 1990s?
What influenced the demand for cheaper second-hand electronics in developing countries?
What influenced the demand for cheaper second-hand electronics in developing countries?
