Get Caught!
the problem:
The problem I am trying to solve is the appropriate disposal of obsolete broken down and unwanted electronic equipment. E-waste or electronic waste is the most rapidly growing segment of the municipal waste stream according to the EPA. Common electronic products such as computers television VCRs stereos and cell phones are rapidly accumulating in our nations homes; 75 percent are said to be in storage. In the United States alone 200 million cell phones are currently active and 80 percent of the population is most likely on their second or third phone. Each year the United States estimates in disposing 250 million computers and only 10 percent are actually recycled. As the mantra goes these products can be reused refurbished and recycled. The problem occurring is the uncertainty of how to manage the materials for advances in technology and new products make it difficult to see the use of “old†electronics. E-waste is an important problem to be recognized because electronics contain several valuable and recoverable materials such as aluminum ferrous metals copper gold and silver. In order to conserve natural resources and the energy needed to produce new electronic equipment from pure resources electronic equipment could be refurbished reused and recycled whenever possible. My church has created a project within the youth group to collect old cell phones that parishioner’s no longer use. This project allows us to reuse still functioning electronic equipment and donate cell phones to someone who can still use it. E-waste also contains toxic and hazardous waste materials including mercury lead cadmium beryllium chromium antimony and many other chemicals. The exposure to these toxic chemicals could pose a serious health issues if any of these materials enter our water system. These materials can cause the human respiratory and nervous system damage and damage human endocrine functions. California law currently views nonfunctioning CRTs (cathode ray tubes) from televisions and monitory hazardous. I am the right person to solve this problem because I care about the new generation. I do not want to grow up in a world with increasingly potential health risks. The recycling of e-waste not only donates back to society but it saves us from hazardous toxins finding their way into our daily lives.
vital stats:
people impacted:
1,000people involved:
40why it's important:
My project is called Get Caught! The point of this project is to encourage the fellow people in our community to donate their old electronics back to the community to get them out of storage and put them to good use.
the plan of action:
Our church youth group began this project a couple years ago collecting old cell phones from fellow parishioners. In the foyer of the church we set up decorated boxes advertising our parishioners to donate their old cell phones. It started small just within our church but when I saw this scholarship contest I have decided to spread the idea to all the churches in Lumberton. The donation will start out by asking for cell phones but I hope to make the project grow and be able to ask for computers and televisions. The faster we collect these e-waste materials the more we can recycle and reuse them and avoid the hazardous toxins when they are not disposed correctly. My project addresses the problem of e-waste by educating the people of our church communities first. The area of Southeast Texas is known as the Bible belt so I figured if I reached the church community first then the parishioners would spread the word to their friends and they would spread the word to their friends and so on and so on. My idea is almost like the idea of pay if forward where you do a good deed for someone and that person does three more good deeds to three different people. Hopefully my project goes well. Eventually I want to write a letter to the government asking if stores like Best Buy and Circuit City can have a drop off place for people to come a drop off their electronics they no longer use. Get Caught is a simple idea but in most cases a project that is kept simple is easier for people to understand and if it is easy to understand it is easy for people to remember. It is an uncomplicated plan that will bring people together and to bring awareness to the valuable recoverable materials of e-waste and the toxic health risks associated with e-waste.
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