E-Waste

0910

E-WASTE BOX AT EUROCAMPUS

Lila Sakata

E-waste, or electronic waste, is a big problem. Every electronic device is made with components that are hazardous to the environment and to our health when thrown into the nature. And we all know waste is not properly managed in Shanghai. There is no recycling program going on officially led by the authority of the city. Therefore, when we throw our electronic waste in the common bin (e.g. the old phone we couldn't manage to sell and finally decided to get rid of; or the earphones we broke two days ago), the hazardous components may go to landfills and pollute the soil as well as the water beneath it.

That´s why an organization in Shanghai, Green Initiatives, came up with a solution for this issue: through their [WE] Project, they collect the e-waste in many drop-off locations in Shanghai and dismantle them into their components. Then, they treat chemically and mechanically the small pieces and finally sell them to electronics manufacturers. This recycling process prevents the waste from going to landfills.

At The Last Straw, we wanted to give students the opportunity for their e-waste to be collected easily. We therefore asked the LFS administration if we could give the Eurocampus Reception (directly on the right when entering the campus through the main gate) a box for both LFS and DSS students to drop off their e-waste from home. It's much more practical to take our e-waste on the bus in the morning than having to go to one of the [WE] drop-off locations in Shanghai, as they could be far from home.

For the moment, we will take the waste collected to one of these locations ourselves.

So ask the reception to store your waste in the box and help spread the word!

*Please note that the items must be smaller than 30x30 cm. Also, batteries are not to be put inside the E-Waste Box but inside the Batteries Box, which is located on the left when entering through the 2F gate.

See the web page of the [WE] Project for more information, including:

Drop-off locations in Shanghai
Recyclable Items
Non-Recyclable Items
Recycling Process
The Impact of E-Waste and how it is managed in China

Green Initiatives contact:

Nitin Dani, Founder & Director

1F, 328 Hunan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai