Can Those $100 Laptops Be Recycled?

Ethan Arpi — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:28:23 -0400

“Closing the digital divide” has become a mantra echoed throughout the development community. And for good reason; the most innovative technologies like solar panels, cell phones, and computers have been utilized by the BOP to generate greater income and economic opportunity. But as governments, businesses, and non-profits continue to emphasize the importance of new technologies, they must not forget that these technologies, when discarded, produce some of the most insidious waste. Therefore, developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for dealing with e-waste is just as important as ensuring that the most sophisticated technologies are readily available in the developing world. That’s the message of Elizabeth Grossman’s smart new book, High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health, which warns that there is a “flip side to the digital revolution.” The negative effects of e-waste, she writes, "are now being felt by communities from the Arctic to Australia, with poorer countries and communities receiving a disproportionate share of the burden." (For a review of the book, check out the Treehugger Blog, and for an interview with the author, check out WorldChanging.)

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Can Those $100 Laptops Be Recycled?