"In the United States, an estimated 70% of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics. While there is agreement that the number of discarded electronic devices is increasing, there is considerable disagreement about the relative risk (compared to automobile scrap, for example), and strong disagreement whether curtailing trade in used electronics will improve conditions, or make them worse."

Meta-Actor: Journalism

Source Document: http://animeprodigy.weebly.com/electronic-waste.html

Date: Unknown

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"Q3. In your support for a National Academies study of e-waste, you (Paul T. Anastas) suggest that an authoritative baseline of e-waste impacts is needed. What impacts of e-waste are currently in dispute? A3. There has never been a science-based assessment conducted of the environmental risks posed by electronic products--as a result, this central issue, remains in dispute.” 

Meta-Actor: Government

Source Document: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/111th-congress/house-report/698/1

Date: December 30, 2010

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"There are differences of opinion of the extent to which dumping e-waste at registered landfills is a problem. Waste scientists such as Lombard feel these sites are sufficiently protected to prevent leaching into underground water. By implication, Holfontein, which encapsulates nickel-cadmium batteries, disagrees. The BCRC also finds this problematic."

Meta-Actor: Not-for-Profit

Source Document: http://www.ewasteguide.info/files/Finlay_2005_APC.pdf

Date: November 2005

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"Krist said it is a misconception, despite improvements in recent years, to see all the electronic wastes as hazardous.  “There is a huge misperception, in the sense of how toxic electronic waste is. Let’s face it if a computer is no longer working, the moment it moves from the table to the floor, it becomes hazardous,” he said. “How is that possible? Even in the manual dismantle process, there is still nothing hazardous about it. Don’t get me wrong. There are certain hazardous materials in electronic waste, but they only become an issue when you start to process or recycle these materials — if the recycling or recovery is not done correctly and without the proper health and safety as well as environmental safety measure in place.” According to Krist, if labour cost allows it, the best way to start recycling electronic waste is to do it manually which gives the cleanest separation of all the material, metal, plastic and printed circuit boards. After the initial separation the material can go for their respective recycling process.""

Meta-Actor: Journalism

Source Document: http://www.eco-business.com/news/recycling-of-electronic-wastes-a-growing-industry/

Date: July 3, 2012