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Where do your old electronics end up?

Engadget have posted a couple of videos of regions in China where eletronic waste is disposed of.

Named "e-waste" the most toxic is shipped illegally back to China and boiled down for its precious metals. Children, women and elderly are involved in the process of burning the metals which cause lung disease, cancer and a whole truck load of breathing conditions. Most of the shots you see in the video are mountains of CRT monitors which are discarded regularly by businesses and consumers for TFT upgrades.

One of the "employees" interviewed earns just $12 a day for working in such harsh conditions. If you are considering disposing of any electronic waste then I strongly suggest you watch the video. If you are curious about where our electronics go or are concerned with the planet as a whole this is something you won't want to miss. It's disgraceful that these working conditions and extreme poverty are evident in countries where many of the worlds electronics stem from.


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