One more great reason to make sure you recycle your cell phones and computers! According to Casey Bush and Joshua Seeds, most modern cell phones and computers contain a rare natural element called tantalum, a derivative of the mineral coltan, which is often illegally mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A tenfold spike in coltan prices in 2000 may have been caused in large part “by the launch of the Sony PlayStation 2 and a new generation of mobile phones.” This had devastating consequences for the people and wildlife of this region:
When the 2000 price spike caused a “coltan rush” in eastern Congo, legions of coltan miners tore apart alluvial deposits, river beds, and soft rock with picks and shovels. Coltan is heavy, so swirling stones and soil in a pan works to separate out the coltan just as it does with gold. In the process, river banks and streams are transformed into mud, and erosion commonly leads to landslides. The landscape is further degraded as mining camps chop down trees for firewood and building materials, devastating swaths of the lowland portion of the Virunga World Heritage National Park.
In addition, hunters harvest “bush meat” to feed the workers in mining camps…Some mountain gorillas (with only 700 left in the world) have recently been killed and butchered for food…Similarly, conservationists can no longer find any forest elephants in Kahuzi-Biega, a population that numbered 3,600 just a decade ago, and the local hippopotamus herds have diminished from 22,000 in 1998 to only 900. Chimpanzees and antelope are nowhere to be seen.
The Congo was a colony of Belgium until it gained independence in the 1950’s. Since then it has been torn by war of one kind of another, as dictators, armies and foreign forces struggle over who controls its rich resources. Today, militias from neighboring conflicts are adding to the damage.
Militias from Rwanda and Uganda may justify invasions [into the DRC] on the grounds that they are defending their people against rebels, but they earn billions from the tantalum they collect and smuggle across borders during these raids.
The people who live in the DRC experience chronic food shortages and contaminated water supplies, with children at risk for starvation and disease, families torn apart, children being recruited to militias and extreme violence being routinely perpetrated against women and girls.
What can we do?
Organizations like Eco-Cell, whose tag line is “answer the call of the wild”, are trying to make a difference. They’ve teamed up with 57 zoos across the country to collect cell phones:
Through the program, approximately 80 percent of the phones collected will be refurbished and reused by first time, low income users in Latin America or by select local programs, such as battered women’s organizations, senior citizens groups and other groups for emergency 911 calls. All unusable cell phones and accessories will be recycled under strict EPA guidelines by certified recyclers.
I don’t eat factory farmed meat any more. I try not to buy clothing that was produced in a sweatshop. But I’m addicted to my cell phone and laptop. Recycling them may save my soul.
Flickr Photo Credits: youngrobv’s photostream; cordydan’s photostream