Cody Suher, Carrie Cohen, Matt Keehn
December 11, 2011
EGRS/PTSD 251
Group 3: Annotated bibliography
(2006). Needs for Comprehensive Solution. Economic and Political Weekly, 41.
This article, Needs for a Comprehensive Solution, is a summary about e-waste’s detrimental
effects in India. It describes the policy initiatives that India is trying to apply to the nation’s
increasing problems with electronic waste. This article is interesting because the source,
Economic and Policy Weekly is India’s leading political science magazine. This first hand
encounter of the issue will give our group an idea of how other people are trying to solve this
problem and what it feels like to have this issue in your own backyard. Of course a limitation
would be that we won’t be able to implement the courses of action India is taking on Lafayette’s
college campus.
Behring, Natalie. (2011). Inside the Digital Dump. Foreign Policy 160, 74-79.
It is 10 times cheaper for a recycler to ship waste to a developing country. Developing countries
like to harvest the valuable metals from the electronic waste: these include gold, copper and
aluminum. The waste is hazardous because it contains lead, mercury, and cadmium. When the
waste is melted down, these toxins are released into the ground, air and water. Workers can get
paid up to $4 dollars a day to work with these materials, thus making this market vital to some
economies. This article is useful because it provides facts that will help us support the
information we place on our website.
Chainey, S. & Tompson, S. (2011). Profiling Illegal Waste Activity: Using Crime Scripts as a
Data Collection and Analytical Strategy. European Journal on Criminal Policy and
Research, 17.
This article illustrates the issue of irresponsible pollution of e-waste throughout the world. It
talks about the reasoning behind the illegal activities and why it occurs. The essay’s main goal is
to shine a light on this growing issue and promote and increased detection and prevention of the
practice. The topic of illegal treatment and trade of e-waste will be beneficial to our project
because it will show another aspect of the issue that doesn’t directly affect the Lafayette campus.
This article will add to our group’s overall knowledge of the topic and the many areas it affects,
such as law and policy.
Gilsson, W. B., Storer, T., Mayall, G., Moug, I., & Grispos, G. (2011). Electronic retention:
what does your mobile phone reveal about you? International Journal of Information
Security, 10(6), 337-349.
This article addresses a problem with cell phone recycling. Privacy may be an issue with reusing
peoples discarded cell phones. This group did a study on cell phones ready to be sold to a second
user and found that it was possible to extract data about the phone’s original owner even after
full efforts to clear its memory. This information is something that any cell phone recycling
initiative should be aware of. As the article points out, it is imperative that the confidentiality
issue be addressed, and if it cannot be addressed it should be made known to the recycler before
they give up their old phone.
Hanc, J. (2008). For the digitally deceased a profitable graveyard. New York Times.
This article discusses the electronic recycling methods of a single firm called e-Scrap. This
company, based in Islandia NY, and developed a machine capable of demolishing all types of
electronic components. The machine reduces the materials to a shredded state and then sends the
conglomerate to Materials Selection and Recycling to be separated into base materials (glass,
plastic, copper and steel) and is then re-sold. e-Scrap’s clients range from electronics companies
to townships in New York. The example of e-Scrap’s method of e-waste recycling will help our
group provide a case study and a viable example of best practices in e-waste recycling. In
addition, it shows that e-waste recycling is a profitable industry to enter into.
Hong, I. H., & Ke , J. S. (2011). Determining advanced recycling fees and subsidies in "e-scrap"
reverse supply chains. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(6), 1495.
This journal article discusses the different governmental taxes and subsidies that could possibly
be imposed on the recycling of end of life (EOL) electronics. Primarily, it discusses advanced
recycling fees for sellers of electronics and government subsidies that could be implemented for
the users. After discussing the options, the article tries to find a solution that maximizes social
welfare and at the same time maximizes profits for both electronics sales and recycling industries.
The article takes a very scientific/economic view of the implementation of taxes and subsidies
for recycling of electronics which I believe will help when we discuss our suggestions for
Lafayette. Along with the relevance (dated in 2011) the economic views will be able to reinforce
our intuitive suggestions for Lafayette’s e-waste solutions.
Huo, Xia, Lin Peng, Xijin Xu, Liangkai Zheng, Bo Qiu, Zhongli Qi, Bao Zhang, and Dai Han.
(2007). Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu: an Electronic Waste
Recycling Town in China. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(7), 1113-1117.
This source reveals the health hazards of electronic waste recycling on the local environment in
Guiyu, China. The study that was done involved four villages which each had their own
different specialty processes in e-waste recycling. What it found was that children six years and
younger who were exposed to these electronics had elevated levels of lead in their blood
compared to those in a neighboring town who was mostly focused in the textile industry. This
source is helpful because our group is trying to prove that e-waste is harmful and this study
clearly shows that there is correlation between electronic waste disposal and negative health
effects in other countries.
Nagle, R. (2007). Because Computers Don't Compost. Science, 316, 693-694.
This article presents a perspective from 2007 shortly after the EPA started calling for e-waste to
be considered under its own category of waste. At this time recycling of materials used in
electronics was possible but not widespread. Some recycling practices at that time included
sending old computers to China and India where they would be dismantled by hand then burned
in flames or acid to obtain bits of the metals used. This article will be useful in viewing the short
term contexts that bring us to e-waste management today. It also provides key information about
the policies instituted by the EPA in 2005 and how the industry adapted in the following two
years.
Ravi, V. (2011). Evaluating Overall Quality of Recycling of e-Waste from End-of-Life
computers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 20.
This article, Evaluating overall quality of recycling of e-waste from end-of-life computers,
outlines the more technical aspects of the e-waste problem. The article describes how different
types of e-waste require different measures of recycling to ensure high quality of recycling. It
suggests the implementation of different methods of recycling for different types of e-waste. This
article would be most hopefully in aiding the technical aspect of our project. It would give our
group more insight on the different types of e-waste and also give us an example of a possible
solution for a more efficient e-waste recycling program. A down side of the article might be that
the technique of recycling that they suggest may be too burdensome for the campus to put into
practice.
Schachter, R. (2009). Mobile devices in the classroom: phones, netbooks and ipods are finding a
place in the curriculum and expanding student access to technology. District
Administration, 45(10), 31.
This school administration journal article discusses the use of electronic devices in elementary
schools. It gives the benefits and possible draw backs of having this type of mobile technology in
the class room. iPods and cell phones are the focus electronics in the article. This article is from a
professional journal that targets district leaders in K-12 education, and I believe that we can use
this fact to help solidify our stance that mobile devices are a trend among the younger generation.
Since the article discusses education (although not at the college level) it pertains to Lafayette in
that mobile devices in the classroom will clearly affect the amount of mobile devices among
students on campus.
Schmidt, Charles W. (2006). Unfair Trade e-Waste in Africa. Environmental Health
Perspectives, 114(4), A232-A235.
Africa has become one of the top importers of electronic garbage. E-waste is scattered all over
the countryside and often dumped in swamps. When piles of waste get too high they are often lit
on fire, which releases toxins into the air. This article elaborates on how the United States is
exporting electronic waste and programs that have been created to reduce the amount of exports.
It also provides information of the incentives for Africa to import waste. Apparently, companies
promise to send some high value product if the buyers except waste as well. This will help our
group speak for both sides of the e-waste trade.
Sigman, H. A. (1995). A comparison of public policies for lead recycling. The RAND Journal of
Economics, 26(3), 452-478.
This article talks about the economic benefits of better recycling of heavy materials such as lead,
and how public policies accommodate this. The policies discussed include taxing virgin
materials, refunds for recycling them, and subsidies for the recycling processes. It also talks
about imposing standards for recycled materials. This researches talks about how policies with
economic benefits have been shown to be effective in this market. The part of this article that
will be beneficial to our project is the way in which Sigman goes about getting consumers to
participate in the recycling efforts. Whether or not, economic rewards are feasible in our case,
the psychology behind these strategies will help us develop the most effective system for
Lafayette.
Thomas, V. M. (2009). A universal code for environmental management of products. Electronics
and the Environment, 180-183.
This article addresses ways in which product manufacturers and super stores can make recycling
more efficient. The article outlines three ways to make product recycling more efficient and
include more products. These three initiatives include using product codes for efficient,
automated sorting, using the product codes for “recycling innovations” including coupons,
rebates and online paybacks. The article addresses the feasibility of these strategies and their
implementation depending on the scales of the market. This article will provide information
about best practices in the industry we can recommend to an institution with a demographic like
Lafayette College.
Wankel, E. C., & Law, J. S. (2011). Streaming media delivery in higher education, methods and
outcomes. Reference & Research Book News.
This article discusses how media streaming and online video are working for educators from
countries across the globe. The article talks about incorporating many different types of
technology into higher education classrooms to utilize the wealth of knowledge available on the
internet. It specifically sites iPods as one of the technologies available to this new ‘e-classroom’.
Our group will benefit from this commentary on how higher educational institutions are using
electronics in the classroom, which will clearly impact the number of mobile and electronic
devices used by Lafayette students in the future.
Webb, Sarah. (2007). E-waste Hazards: Chinese Gear Recyclers Absorb Toxic Chemicals.
Science News,172(2), 20.
This source describes a Chinese region where 80 percent of its residents are workers who recycle
used electronics. These workers exhibited high concentrations of flame-retardant chemicals in
their blood. In addition, residents of a fishing village downstream also carried these chemicals in
their blood, specifically called polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The source continues to prove
the negative health consequences of recycling electronic waste. It talks about the possible birth
defects and brain damage that the chemicals might impose. This will be useful in supporting our
argument that e-waste exportation is bad, and provide us for reasons to look for ways to reduce
the amount of e-waste on campus.
Widmer, R., Oswald-Krapf, H., Shinha-Khetriwal, D., Schnellmann, M., & Boni, H. (2005).
Global Perspectives on e-Waste. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 25.
This article gives the reader an overview about the issue of e-waste and describes the different
types of legislation and policies that attempt to regulate e-waste. Specifically, the WEEE (waste
electrical and electronic equipment) Knowledge program that talks about where e-waste
recycling is an issue and how improvements need to be made in the industry of e-waste recycling.
This would be a valuable source to use in our project because as stated in the title, it will give a
“global perspective” and greater context when we relate the topic of e-waste to Lafayette’s
campus. A limitation of the source would be that it may be too broad for our specific project and
give too much of an international viewpoint that wouldn’t apply to our campus.