Thousands of televisions, computers, cellphones and other electronic gadgets
will be relegated to obsolete status during the holiday season as gift-giving
brings new technology to homes across the country.
Some of those "old" electronics will find a second life through donations or
recycling programs, but most will sit in basements or drawers before being sent
to landfill or exported overseas.
"It's a growing problem," said Shirley Thompson, an assistant professor at
the University of Manitoba Natural Resources Institute.
"These items contain toxic metals and other chemicals and often they are
ending up in landfills."
Millions of printed circuit boards from discarded electronics are tossed into landfills every year. In addition to the volume of waste, the material can leach chemicals into the soil. As an alternative, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China are finding various ways to reuse the panels, including as an additive in asphalt.