The town of Agbogbloshie in the West African country of Ghana has been called a digital dumping ground. Millions of tons of discarded electronics wind up there annually, so people can try to recover anything of value. It's therefore one of the most polluted places in the world, because workers burn plastic coatings to get at the metal in the guts of gadgets.
西非加纳的阿博布罗西(Agbogbloshie)被称为“数字填埋场”,每年,倾倒在这的废弃电子垃圾达数百万吨。因此,人们能在这找回任何有价值的东西。这里是世界上污染最严重的地方,因为工人们会通过焚烧塑料外壳,从各种配件的内部获取特定金属。
But Agbogbloshie is about to get cleaner, thanks to the opening of a new facility for handling such e-waste. Four machines that can strip plastic will prevent the burning that produces hazardous smoke.
多亏了一种用于处理电子垃圾的新型设备,阿博布罗西就要变得更加清洁了。这四台机器能剥去塑料外壳,防止燃烧产生有害烟雾。
E-waste is a large and growing problem thanks to the large and growing appetite for electronics. Responsible recyclers exist, but too much e-waste still ends up being exported and improperly disposed of in places like Agbogbloshie.
由于电子产品的需求日益增加,电子垃圾成了越来越严重的问题。虽然有负责回收的工作人员,但仍有大量的电子垃圾未得到合理处理,被输送到像阿博布罗西这样的地方。
The worst e-waste remains batteries. The most common type, lead-acid batteries, are classified as toxic waste once used. And more and more rechargeable lithium ion batteries are finding their way into landfills and other unsafe disposal sites.
最糟糕的电子垃圾还是电池。最常见的类型,如:铅酸电池,它一经使用,便成了有毒废物。还有越来越多的锂离子二次电池将被送往垃圾填埋场和其他不安全的垃圾处理场。
But the problem of e-waste can be solved with proper recycling. The new machines in Agbogbloshie should be able to strip enough wires to produce about 10 metric tons of copper a month. That's good news for livelihoods—and lungs—of local residents.
通过合理回收,电子垃圾问题是能够被解决的。阿博布罗西的新机器每月大概能从电线中剥出10吨铜来。这对当地空气、居民及其生计来说,都是个好消息。