Planet Green has a great e-Waste IQ test on their site, of which I failed. Cannot believe it, after all the blogging, I fail at this!
Question:
How many tons of e-waste are put in landfills every year
- 2007-1.9 Million according to EPA (actually this is wrong, but it is hard to get 2010 figures)
How many televisions will Americans purchase this year
- 34.5 Million new TVs (Consumer Electronics Association) up from 26.8 million. Americans need their updated digital.
e-Waste recyclers are regulated and can no longer ship to electronics to developing countries. (I was wrong here)
- False, e-Stewards and serious recyclers are responsible. Dell instituted a policy of not exporting to developing companies. But as we all know there are unscrupulous bastards, that box up and ship, or illegal dump them someplace or take to landfills, as it is cheaper and easier.
How much of the lead found in landfills is from consumer electronics (Got this one right)
- 61%. The problem with the lead and we all know how toxic that is, it leaks into the soil, water and air. Guess what the plants you buy absorb it, the animals eat it and drink it and you breathe.
What percentage of computer products and TV’s were recycled in 2007 (Got this correct)
- 18%- which should go up with legislation.
One Ton of scrap from discarded computers contains more gold than.. (Got this wrong)
- 17 Tons of Gold ore. In 1998 recycling electronic scraps yielded as much gold a 2 million metric tons of gold ore. Think about it- mining is a hugely toxic and enviromental problem! Think of how much we could save (especially water) if we salvaged all the gold from electronic waste.
How often does the average cell phone user replace their phone. (Got this one right)
- 14-18 months (this was in 2007) it is probably higher now. I know people that change every year. Cell Phones are easily recyclable and there is no reason at all that over 700 million cell phones go into landfills.
I just took the eco- myths test and passed with flying colors. They offer alot of tests to check out your eco-iq. Planet Green