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e-waste is a big deal, look it up on wiki or google. i did a report on this for one of my college geology classes. it's a serious problem and a big shame that there hasn't been much support or legislation and regulation here yet in the states regarding e-waste. majority of our electronic waste ends up in landfills, and most of that in these 3rd world countries where it is cheap to haul off and less restrictions. many companies here in the states aren't held responsible for the end-of-life of their products, and there aren't any nationally mandated restrictions or regulations on decreasing or regulating the use of the harmful chemicals and compounds. even most so called "recycling" programs here for electronics end up shipping them overseas as well. double-check to see where exactly your components end up or what your drop-off site really intends to do with them. this among other problems like our "throw-away" ethic do not help the problem.poorer countries are getting hit with the pollution from heavy metals and volatile chemicals from these products, leading to a host of health problems including methylated mercury poisoning, lead poisoning, carcinogenic diseases, and much more.it's the number one rapidly growing form of municipal waste and it accounts for about 80% of the toxic waste in there. the support for green manufacturing techniques and disposal, pressure for legislation, and an overall increased awareness will help... but it'll take time.

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