电子垃圾

湖南长沙 颜丹丹 供稿

电子垃圾

湖南长沙 颜丹丹 供稿

编者注：电子垃圾，是指被废弃不再使用的电器或电子设备，主要包括电冰箱、空调、洗衣机、电视机、电脑和手机等电子科技的淘汰品。电子垃圾的成分复杂，其中半数以上的材料对人体有害，有一些甚至是剧毒的。比如，一台电脑有700多个元件，其中有一半元件含有汞、砷、铬等各种有毒化学物质；电视机、电冰箱、手机等电子产品也都含有铅、铬、汞等重金属；激光打印机和复印机中含有碳粉等。电子废弃物被填埋或者焚烧时，其中的重金属渗入土壤，会污染河流和地下水；有机物经过焚烧，释放出大量的有害气体……电子垃圾需要谨慎处理，在一些发展中国家，电子垃圾的现象十分严重，造成的环境污染威胁着当地居民的身体健康。

South Korea is dealing with increasing amounts ofwastefromelectronicdevices. These useless or unwanted parts are often called“e-waste”.

韩国正在处理日益增多的电子设备垃圾。这些没用或不需要的部件通常称为“电子垃圾”。

Tons of old computers，telephones and other electronic devices are often taken to landfills and buried under the ground.

大量的旧电脑、旧手机及其他电子设备通常被运到垃圾填埋场并埋在地底下。

Now，some local governments in South Korea are promoting special e-waste recycling programs.The city of Seoul throws out about 10 tons of e-waste each year.About 20 percent of that goes to the Seoul Resource Center. There，electronic devices are taken apart so that valuable metals can be extracted and reused.South Korean officials say metal extraction1is a$3.8 billion-dollar industry.

如今，一些韩国当地政府正在推动电子垃圾循环利用的项目。首尔每年丢弃约10吨电子垃圾。其中约有百分之二十的电子垃圾被运到首尔资源中心。这里将拆分电子设备，提取有用的金属并再利用。韩国官员称金属提取是价值38亿美元的产业。

Reusing electronic parts is not only about earning profits，but also to protect the environment.About 90 percent of what is brought to the center will be used on other products.

再利用电子部件并非只是从中获利，目的还在于保护环境。百分之九十左右的电子垃圾将会用于其他产品。

The increase of e-waste is not only a concern in South Korea.The United Nations says millions of tons of e-waste end up in developing countries.Toxic2materials can create a severe health risk to the local population.

担忧电子垃圾增加的不仅是韩国。联合国称发展中国家堆积了数百万吨电子垃圾，有毒物质将对当地人的健康构成严重威胁。

Recycling is also about protecting personal information from attack.

循环利用也可使个人信息免遭攻击。

But some environmental groups say not enough is being done to limit the amount of electronics sent to landfills.South Koreans keep buying more and more electronic products.Only about 21 percent of the country’s total e-waste gets properly recycled.

但是一些环保组织称限制电子垃圾送往填埋区的努力还不够。韩国人不断购买越来越多的电子产品，电子垃圾总量中仅有约百分之二十一得以合理的循环利用。

The average South Korean buys a new mobile phone every 18 months.Companies offer special deals to buy new products.Consumer behavior is a big reason why old mobile phones continue to appear at the recycling center.But some people are doing their part to reduce that.One of them says，“I have had this same phone for 10 years.It is what I can do to help conserve our natural resources.”

韩国人平均每18个月购买一部新手机，购买新产品公司会提供特别优惠。消费者的行为是旧手机不断出现在循环利用中心的最主要原因。不过有些人正尽力做到减少更换手机。有人说：“我用同一个手机已经10年之久。这是我为保护自然资源所能做到的。”