Today, much of our obsolete electronics are recycled, which seems to be a good thing, but what most people don't know is that most of this "recycling" is disposed of irresponsibly. This hazardous electronic waste is called e-waste. Our old electronics are sent to developing countries to extract valuable materials, but this is done in a way that harms the environment and the people who work, play and live there. Something needs to be done about the e-waste problem! So we, as responsible inhabitants of this earth, must ask ourselves, "What is happening to my obsolete electronic devices?" Electronic devices such as phones, computers, video game consoles, and TVs all contain heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and many other potentially harmful substances. If these potentially dangerous contents of e-waste are handled improperly, there can be very serious risks to health and the environment (Tsydenova). Therefore, it stands to reason that throwing away your old, obsolete electronic devices and sending them to landfill where they could leach their toxic substances into the soil and surrounding area would be environmentally irresponsible. About 80% of all Americans throw away their outdated technology. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans throw away 2 billion tons of e-waste every year and more than 350,000 cell phones and 130,000 computers every day. E-waste is the fastest growing portion of U.S. trash today. The responsible thing to do would be to recycle our unwanted e-waste, but if it's not handled properly, it could actually be even worse for the environment. In these electronic devices there are not only dangerous metals, but also precious metals. T... half of the paper... theirs. We, as the entire human race, must work together to protect this earth we like to call home. Works Cited: Tsydenova, Oyuna and Magnus Bengtsson. “Chemical Hazards Associated with the Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.” Waste Management 31.1 (2011): 45-58. Premier of academic research. EBSCO.- Xiangdong Li, et al. “Heavy metal contamination in soil and vegetables near an e-waste processing site, southern China.” Journal of Hazardous Materials 186.1 (2011): 481-490. Premier of academic research. EBSCO.-Stone, Brad. “Tech junk, e-waste – by any name, it's a problem.” Newsweek 146.24 (2005): 11. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO.-Walsh, Bryan. “Not e-waste.” Time 173.2 (2009): 49-50. Premier of academic research. EBSCO.- Schaffhauser, Dian. “The Dirt on E-Waste.” IL Giornale 36.3 (2009): 20-25. Premier of academic research. EBSCO.