During this first week
of class, I stopped to think on the video and our field trips and tried to tie
things together. It still surprises me how even nowadays we are still unaware
of the lack of long term sustainable plans for the future and the lack of common
environmental procedural consensus across countries. We might have a good sense
of how things work within our borders but once we step into foreign territory
we cannot really tell what really happens to the handling of waste and if any
regulations are being implemented. Somehow, the way our system works is not
sustainable, not only in the broad sense of not recycling enough within the
country but also in the sense that developed countries export waste to developing
countries, from which we also extract in huge part natural resources, and in
which feeble governments allow this to happen. The problem raised is that by
exporting cheap waste to other poorer countries with more space available and
less safe workplace investment that are willing to take it, not only
jeopardizes the emerging country’s standard of living conditions assuming that
handling and safety are somewhat lower and sneaky in those countries, but also
in the long run, the lack of supervision from abroad into those developing
countries will result into an aggravation of the global environment, and that
affects the developed countries too. It is also raised an ethical question here
too. That is just a short-term plan but not a long-term. We think we recycle
but do we really know what is the real destination of every material? Some of
the materials like paper or plastic might be kept within the country, however
where does electronic waste go? A follow up on the true externalized costs
concept mentioned in class would be the technological equipment waste or
e-waste. These links are some examples that really opened my mind into a new
perspective and made me think more skeptically about our waste disposal final
destination.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17782718
http://www.waterhealtheducator.com/upload/Illegal%20Waste%20Dumping%20Article.pdf
I also find it shocking that as a country the general population is completely unfamiliar/uninformed with the consumer waste process in our country. This class has certainly motivated me to challenge the current options and methods of waste management practiced on a national and global scale. On the issue of e-waste that you mentioned at the end of your post, I find this to be a critical topic as well. I had heard this term used several times prior to this class, however just now fully grasped the concept. I have discovered in my reading that the term e-waste is fairly loosely defined, for instance whether or not microwaves and other similar appliances should be considered in this debate is still not concretely established. It appears that the reduce, reuse, recycle method is also fully applicable to this area. Reduction of e-waste can be achieved by properly maintaining these products. These products can still be reused if they and up in the proper hands. Also, these products should be recycled should the become inoperable.
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