America’s love affair with consumer electronics will likely rage on for years to come. With a constant stream of iPads, e-readers and smart phones hitting the market, it’s hard not to get sucked into purchasing products. But embracing new technologies brings up a huge question: What do you do with the old stuff?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generated about 3 million tons of electronic waste in 2007. Out of all that waste, only 13.6 percent of it was recycled — the rest wound up in landfills or was shipped to developing nations. The country’s growing mounds of e-waste are cause for concern both from a health and environmental perspective, so it’s important for consumers to properly dispose of unwanted electronics. Read on to learn how improperly discarded e-waste poses health, social and environmental problems.

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Post tags: Basel Action Network, e-Stewards, e-waste, electronic recycling certification, electronic take-back programs, electronics recycling, electronics recycling programs, environment and e-waste, epa, exporting e-waste, Government Accountability Office, Kate Sinding, Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc, problems with e-waste, toxins in e-waste