The abundance of technology emerging
each day poses a serious question
to the youth: “which new technology
do I want?” Apple has catered
to tech kids by introducing new “generations”
of their famous iPods and
Mac computers. Microsoft is not far
behind in releasing faster and more
efficient products each year — like
the allegedly almighty Windows 7.
The hardest question of the technophile’s
day may be which Intel Core
Duo 2 Processor (whatever that is) is
better, but environmentalists say we
have bigger problems when it comes
to our electronics.
Many people in developed countries
remember the dawn of the Internet
and the rise of the computer,
but this rise in electronics came with
a few repercussions. As technology
advanced, improved electronics
entered the global market and
settled into homes all over. When
asked whether they’d recycle their
old electronics, most U of T students
replied negatively. One student, Michael
Galang said, “I usually pass
on my old electronics to my brother
and sister. [Laptops], iPods, etc.” Although
a great way to reuse old electronics,
it is important to realize that
they can be put to other uses.
According to the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) the
rate of recycling metal is far below
its potential. This is correlated with a
dramatic decrease in resources, predominantly
metals. UNEP states that
lead is among the most recycled metals,
which is not surprising as it is
commonly found in batteries. Other
metals that see a rate of recycling of
over 50% are gold, aluminum, silver,
tin, nickel, etc.
Eighteen metals see these higher
recycling rates, but 34 are recycled
less than one per cent of the time, including
boron, geranium, selenium,
and lithium.
This is a disappointment because
although some of these are unheard
of, they are frequently used in the
manufacturing of steel, glass, ceramics,
electronics, plastics, and medical
equipment.
Even though some of these metals
yield higher recycling rates, all elements
have seen a dramatic increase
in demand, followed by a dramatic decrease
in supply. Metals have become
an important resource in any economy,
especially in places like China
that need these resources to expand.
Mining for new elements has become
costly and environmentally
harmful. Creating new mines has
many environmental impacts, ranging
from water use to ecosystem
damage and air pollution emitted
from machinery and transportation.
Most people are unaware of how
many recycling plants exist in their
neighbourhoods, and how many
benefits are derived from their use.
Paulo Bettencourt, a student working
for his uncle’s contracting business,
explains that recycling is an
important part of the business. “I
recycle metals every day after work.
One time I got $300 from one bag of
aluminum. It’s really easy and there
are more recycling plants in your
area than you are even aware of so
it’s really convenient.”
Keep in mind however that the
quality of the metals is taken into
consideration before compensation.
“If the metals are mixed you
won’t get much money back. What
they are looking for are clean metals
which are just the original element,”
Bettencourt explained. By recycling
metals frequently and being more
responsible about what and how
much we consume, we can build
metal reserves that will last us well
into the future. Metal is what drives
our economies and our cities, but if
we are not careful we will not be able
to drive, communicate, and play the
way we are accustomed to.
