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net Academic English – High Intermediate

Electronic waste
What happens to all the millions of
computers, electronics, and cellular phones that
are discarded every year? Electronic waste, also
known as e-scrap or e-waste, refers to
electronic devices or machines that have been
thrown away. E-waste poses a real problem
because some people believe it contains
hazardous chemicals and materials that are
harmful to the environment.

This problem is significant as the amount of e-waste seems to be getting very large. In 2007, for
example, the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency or EPA (a government body that
enforces environmental laws) estimated that about 41 million computers were thrown away that
year. They also claimed that the United States alone produced around 3 million tons of e-waste.
Worldwide, it estimates that 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are generated every year.

UNEP (United Nations’ Environment Programme) has estimated that e-waste could expand by 500
per cent in the next 10 years. Fast-changing technology and the speed at which electronics and
computers become obsolete are partly to blame for the quick increase in e-waste over the years.
Older computer processors, for example, are replaced quickly as faster ones come along and enter
the marketplace. New forms of media storage such as CDs, MDs, and MP3s, have also contributed
to the growth of e-waste. The recent switch from cellular phones to smartphones in many regions
of the world has also created a bigger e-waste problem.

Although a small percentage of e-waste is recycled, most of it (about 70 per cent) goes to landfills
and incinerators. According to many scientists, when e-waste ends up in landfills, many of the
hazardous content leaches into the land and this can be harmful to the local underground water
supply. If e-waste is burned in an incinerator, the metal it contains may release toxic chemicals into
the air. This has the potential to negatively affect the food chain and may even be directly harmful
to human beings.

Many countries have attempted to “solve” the problem of e-waste by exporting it to other
countries. North American countries often export their e-waste to China while Europe does the
same to India and Pakistan. Although the export of e-waste is illegal in many countries, many
governments either refuse to enforce the law or they claim it is too difficult to enforce.

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 Dreamreader.net Academic English – High Intermediate
1. According to the article, what is Electronic waste also known as?
a) e-scrap or e-waste
b) hazardous chemicals
c) v-scrap or v-waste
d) none of the above
2. The word ‘enforces’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
a) achieves
b) terrorizes
c) administers
d) discourages
3. According to the article, how many tons of e-waste does the United States produce?
a) around 3 million
b) around 20 million
c) around 41 million
d) around 50 million
4. What is the main subject of paragraph 2?
a) The hazardous nature of e-waste
b) The growing amount of e-waste produced each year
c) How e-waste disposal might harm people and the environment
d) The large amount of e-waste produced in the United States and the world
5. What does “this” refer to in paragraph 4?
a) metal
b) e-waste
c) the food chain
d) toxic chemicals in the air
6. The word ‘leaches’ in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to:
a) falls
b) seeps
c) evaporates
d) pours
7. According to the article, how do North American and European countries deal with their e-waste?
a) they transport it to other countries
b) they try to hide it in the countryside
c) they recycle the majority of their e-waste
d) governments refuse to enforce the law
8. What would be a good title for this passage?
a) Pollution and E-waste
b) The Growing Problem of Electronic Waste
c) Planned Obsolescence and the Electronics Market
d) The Illegal Export of Electronic Waste to Other Countries
Answers: 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (d) 6. (b) 7. (a) 8. (b)

This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy, share or adapt
this material so long as it is not used for commercial purposes.