It was your birthday, and you just opened your biggest gift -- a smooth silver laptop. You can't wait to instant-message your friends with the news, but first you have to get rid of your old desktop computer. Do you just throw away the monitor and keyboard in the trash? Not anymore! Three states, that is, California, Maine, and Maryland, recently passed laws prohibiting people from throwing away electronic waste, or e-waste, includes televisions, computers, and cell phones. Although they don't make you sick when you use them, they do when they are destroyed, for they contain heavy metals that can be harmful to human bodies. For example, cell phone batteries contain a kind of chemical causing damage to kidneys and deserted computer monitors can damage brains. And flat TV screens may cause injury to the nervous system. Those metals can leak into the ground or give off pollutants when burned. It is required that e-waste be placed at special sites rather than usual landfills. Several other states are considering similar laws and California is also pushing for a law banning the application of such dangerous substances. Government officials are not the only people taking aim at e-waste; environmentalists are also urging people to recycle their outdated equipment. "It is just a waste ... to not recycle," Patrick, an associate professor of occupational and environmental health at university of Iowa, told The Daily Iowan, "Allowing dangerous chemicals to leak into the environment for decades seems irresponsible." What Can You Do? Reduce. Be a responsible shopper, and take care of your electronics so they will last longer. Re-use. Donate or sell your old high-tech equipment. Recycle. To find a responsible recycler, contact a local or state environmental group. What can we know from Patrick's words?
Waste can't be recycled. Waste can be made use of by recycling We have to recycle e-waste to protect the environment. Protecting the environment is important.