A resident in California stumbled across an illegal dumping site near Brisbane, leading to an impromptu cleanup and raising questions about who discarded so much electronic waste. 

What's happening?

In the r/BayArea subreddit, a resident who regularly takes action to remove harmful litter explained that they discovered "a very bad illegal dumping site" and shared images of a hillside strewn with e-waste and their subsequent cleanup.

"The pictures unfortunately don't really show how bad it is. A lot of loose debris was found beneath the soil," the original poster wrote, adding that 200 laptops were found. 

"That amount of e-waste is utterly heinous," one commenter responded. "There need to be real consequences for these illegal hauling operations."

"Thank you!" another Redditor said. "Amazing how people have not a care in the world when they just toss their trash anywhere they want."

Why is this important?

Illegally dumping e-waste may seem like no big deal, but it can have devastating economic and environmental consequences. 

For one, the OP confirmed the laptops at the Brisbane site still had their lithium-ion batteries, making their unregulated disposal a potential fire hazard in a state where wildfires have become more frequent and severe as a result of rising global temperatures. 

What's more, e-waste — which accounts for 70% of the toxic waste that contaminates our water and soil, per The World Counts — contains materials like gold, copper, silver, and iron. 

With those metals ending up in landfills or illegal dumping sites rather than being recovered through recycling, the United States loses $57 billion worth of valuable resources, per EY. 

Why was this illegal dumping site so large?

One Redditor suggested convenience and cost were a significant cause, confessing that they, too, used to drop their waste at the illegal site because doing otherwise was "too expensive." 

Should tourists be responsible for cleaning up their own trash? Absolutely 👏 In most cases 👍 It depends on the place 🤔 No, they shouldn't 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Another commenter pointed out that waste management company Recology is just "down the road" from Brisbane's illegal e-waste site and speculated the dumper balked at the organization's commercial disposal fee, as its website states there is a minimum $60 charge on all loads, though Recology told The Cool Down that "we accept televisions, computer monitors, laptop computers, and small electronic devices from our customers at no charge." 

San Mateo County, where Brisbane is located, does offer free e-waste collection events, along with free recycling and disposal for hazardous waste, so this comment suggests a potential gap in coverage or communication that officials would want to remedy to limit illegal dumping. 

What can I do to prevent e-waste more broadly?

If you're on a mission to responsibly ditch your old electronics, hitting an unexpected roadblock or fee can be frustrating. Fortunately, Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy are among the major companies that will accept your old electronics for store credit.  

Trashie is also making it easy to recycle your old electronics with its Tech Take Back Box. Once you purchase your box, which can hold up to 10 pounds of electronics, you'll instantly earn Trashie cash that you can spend on exclusive rewards from popular businesses and retailers

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