While technology has revolutionized the way people live, it has not come without a direct environmental cost. Toxic waste or electronic waste (e-waste), produced by obsolete electronic products, is growing at an alarming rate, and poses a severe environmental threat. In light of challenges underlined by this new kind of waste, sound management is imperative. Although, America and Asia are economically very different from each other, ironically they do not differ much when it comes to the `mismanagement' of e-waste: unsafe disposition practices, lax legislations, and inadequate recycling.

Disposal of e-waste is one of the major problems faced in America. Despite being financially sound, America has no proper infrastructure built for safe disposal of e-waste. The vast majority of e-waste, "collected from consumers and recycling depots by middlemen," is landfilled, or simply stockpiled. Then, searching for cheaper ways to dispose of it, shipped to developing countries in Asia...