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Hazardous Waste

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The tragic costs of e-waste

According to the U.N., about 50 million tons of electronic waste (or e-waste) are produced every year, the vast majority of which winds up strewn in landfills in the global South, where people sift through the electronic debris in search of valuable metals. Correspondent Seth Doane looks at the tragic costs that occur when consumer products reach their end-of-life, and examines efforts to ramp up formal recycling and extending the life of products like smartphones.

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