简介：
Don't Treat Old Gadgets Like Garbage
换了新手机，旧的怎么办？
撰文/播音 戴维•别洛（David Biello）
翻译 李轩
校对 尹秋媛
Did you get a new tablet or computer this holiday season? A new smartphone? Maybe a new TV? Here's a question to tell if you’re naughty or nice: what will you do with the old one?
新年假期，你是否又添置了新的平板、电脑，或是智能手机？又或是一台新电视？请回答一个可以测试人品的问题：你打算怎么处理那些“退休”的旧东西？
Most people just throw old gadgets away. That's how nearly 50 million metric tons of so-called e-waste were produced in 2012—the weight of 150 Empire State Buildings. By 2017, that flood of e-waste will grow to more than 65 million metric tons—or 11 Great Pyramids worth. That’s according to a study from researchers at the UN, EPA and elsewhere.
大多数人会将旧物直接扔掉，这便造就了2012年那5000万公吨、足有150个帝国大厦那么沉的电子垃圾！据联合国、美国国家环境保护局等机构研究人员的联合调查，到2017年，电子垃圾的洪流将增至6500公吨，相当于11座胡夫金字塔！
Improper disposal of e-waste has led to some of the world's most toxic pollution hotspots. It's also a waste of resources, like valuable rare earth metals.
处理不当的电子垃圾，已使一些地方变成了全球毒物污染最为严重的热点地区。同时，这也是在浪费稀土金属这样的珍贵资源。
China produces the most total e-waste. But we Americans hold the title for biggest individual gadget lovers—and wasters. We produced an average of roughly 30 kilograms of e-waste per person in 2012. Impressive, given how light our gizmos are.
中国制造的电子垃圾总量占全球首位，但美国才是人均电子产品消费与浪费最多的国家。2012年，美国人平均每人制造了30公斤电子垃圾。考虑到单个设备都颇为轻量，这一数字难免让人叹为观止。
Reuse and recycling is the obvious answer. Good options exist, including some offered by gadget makers themselves, like Apple. But be careful. Some unscrupulous recyclers here in the U.S. simply dump the trashed gadgets overseas. And that's no gift.
电子垃圾的解决之道，显然是再利用与回收。现成的好办法就在眼前，譬如苹果公司的设备回收政策。不过你依然要小心，一些不道德的回收商的处理办法，仅仅是把垃圾扔到国外去——这可不是在送礼丫！
（题图来源：http://www.trevormcmanus.com）
