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Argentina may be a first- rate tourist destination, but it could use some help with its e-waste disposal. The country has no program in place to recycle old cell phones. Consumers there replace their cellphones on average every two years, and the old ones are simply thrown away. With 34.4 million mobile phone subscribers, that’s a lot of cellphones in the trash.

Workers at Gestion Ambiental, a company devoted to the collection, treatment and final disposal of electric and electronic waste in Buenos Aires.
Credit:Juan Moseinco/IPS
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Mobile phones are a big source of toxic pollution. When they break down, they release highly toxic substances and heavy metals that contaminate the air, soil and water tables. According to Gustavo Fernández, owner of Escrap, a company that handles e-waste from large companies, mobile phones are the most dangerous of all e-waste products. “They are like an atomic bomb,” he explained, because they release carcinogenic substances and highly persistent pollutants.

Fernandez joined with the organization Greenpeace Argentina in support of legislation currently being studied by the Argentinian Congress which would make manufacturers of electronic devices responsible for their recycling or otherwise safe disposal. The bill also provides incentives for manufactures to design non-toxic, easily recyclable devices that are free of toxic substances, as well as proposing a national system for the safe disposal of e-waste. Cities with populations over 10,000 would be required to establish

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By Joshua Levitt
Managing Director for UsedCisco.com

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