The typical American home contains 24 consumer electronic products, the
latest
statistics
show: Televisions, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, game
consoles, plus all their beeping cousins.
Holiday gift-giving doesn't just widen the stream of gadgets and gizmos. It
makes orphans of the old stuff.
Got a great deal on an LCD television for Christmas? Upgraded to a faster PC?
Unwrapped a Blu-ray to replace that standard DVD player?
Each item likely displaces another, leaving behind a heap of electro-rubble.
Last year, Americans shoved aside an estimated 27 million outdated or
unwanted televisions, and 205 million computers and chunks of related hardware
(printers, mice, etc.), according to the Environmental Protection Agency. We
crammed most of this e-waste inside a million basements, or stuffed it in the
trash.