Delinking global issues in northern Europe classrooms

Figures & data

Figure 1. Modified “new” theories Mindmap.

Table

Carla: What we didn’t mention was the e-waste. So, we produce a lot of e-waste throughout our lifetime…. And one question in this topic is where does the e-waste go… and why is it… Who collects and where is the e-waste distributed? It is a problem. If you read the… There is a quotation from Greenpeace… So, Michelle, can you read?Millie: “E-waste often ends up dumped in countries with little or no regulation of its recycling or disposal. Historically this has taken place in Asia, but recently the trade has spread to other regions, particularly West Africa”. Carla: So, what are the problems in this? They talk about dumping and what do you… Do you know anything about… the recycling or… strategies of managing e-waste? Bahir: It says that with electronic waste, it should be… it’s possible to get it back to electronic companies. Or like they have certified e-waste recycling. Carla: Yes. So, you go… to the recycling station where this hazard waste and electronics is collected… and you can also go to the store. Many stores are also collecting their products at the end. But then it says it’s dumped and it ends up in specific parts of the… places such as Africa or Asia. But what about the… What happens to these items in the e-waste? Why does it not end up here? Celine: Because they don’t know how to recycle. They don’t know where it should be. Carla: No. And it’s really hard to recycle…yeah, because often you have many different materials, many different products in the items. So… what do you think about this..? And dumping is also a term related to that, you cannot go anywhere else, so you just leave it there… Celine: Well, it’s basically destroying the environment, the habitat… no? Carla: Yeah. OK. So we have substances and elements that shouldn’t be in… or cannot be decomposed, that cannot be recycled, which is why they remain in the environment, and therefore they affect the species and the habitat where this takes place. Arvid: Some of the e-waste is toxic and it can poison water suppliers on the ground in those countries where it ends up… Carla: Yeah, toxic substances can leak and become part of the ecosystems and affect the species. Yeah, and..? Arvid: …and humans as well. Carla: Definitely… humans as well. Yeah. So how could this be? Why do you think this is happening? Why don’t we… I mean if this e-waste is hazardous, it’s very hard to recycle, because we have a lot of different elements in it and substances. How come… I mean Sweden is quite a high-technological country. We have a lot of recycling… you discussed that in your groups… we have quite advanced infrastructure as well, for recycling. How come we don’t take care of this..? Celine: Because they have a lack of knowledge about recycling… Carla: Which ones? Who? Celine: The other countries, for example China… Carla: Yeah…? Yeah, Arvid. Arvid: I think it’s expensive, probably, to recycle like electronic waste so I’d say if you don’t risk anything you just dump it because it’s a more economical solution. Carla: Yeah. If you can’t do it and it’s… There is a lack of knowledge on how to recycle these items. It costs a lot. So, of course they try to get rid of it… And we don’t have any legislation so there are no laws that we need to do it nation wise, or something like that… That’s… Any other reflection about e-waste? … It is a huge area, and one of those that seems to be developing…. So now you can continue with the ecological footprints.