Ever wonder where that bulky PC you got rid of ended up when you bought the laptop? From the time it left your desk and was donated, it has changed many hands and logged many miles. Its final destination was most likely on another continent in a dump where some of the world's poorest people dissected it for the precious metals inside. We recently saw this sobering photo essay by Pieter Hugo titled "A Global Graveyard for Dead Computers in Ghana" during our research for the TWM hotspot scene.
The majority of the e-waste comes from the U.S. and Europe, where it is exported to developing countries. At the end of the line, people scavenge dumps to recover components with great risk to their health simply to survive. Hard drives are sometimes sold to gangs who mine them for info such as Social Security numbers and credit card information. These are visuals for the setting of a post-apocalyptic movie, but sadly, it's a reality today in the Third World.
National Geographic also did an article titled "High Tech Trash" in 2008 with images of the staggering number of electronics that have become disposable. It's a horrific problem with no quick, easy answer. Programs like E-Stewards are trying to put a stop to these exploitative practices but it will take much more for consumers to stem the tide of forgotten gadgetry.
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