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韩国努力回收电子垃圾

South Korea is coping with increasing amounts of garbage from electronic devices, also called “e-waste.” To prevent tons of old computers, smartphones and appliances from ending up in landfills, leaking toxic¹ chemicals, some local governments are launching specialized² e-waste recycling programs.

韩国需要处理越来越多的电子垃圾，也就是废弃电子产品。为了防止大量的旧电脑、智能手机等电子产品扔进垃圾掩埋场，泄露有毒化学物质，一些地方政府发起电子垃圾回收项目。

It is the end of the road for these broken, outdated³ and unwanted electronics.

这些损坏、过时、没人要的电子产品再也没有用处了。

Seoul city throws out some 10 tons of e-waste each year, and about a fifth of that arrives at this recycling center. Here at the SR Center, devices are taken apart so that valuable metals like gold, copper⁴ or rare earths can be extracted -- a 3.8 billion-dollar industry, according to the government.

首尔每年产生大约十吨的电子垃圾，其中1/5左右送到这个回收中心。在这里，工人把这些废品拆开，把有价值的黄金、铜和其他稀有金属取下来。政府说，每年回收的金属价值38亿美元。

But it is not just about earning profits, says the center’s CEO Ji Un-geun. It is about protecting the environment.

不过首尔回收中心的首席执行官吉恩槿（译音，Ji Un-Geun）说，这不仅仅是为了盈利，更重要的是保护环境。

“Our planet has a limited amount of natural resources," he said. "Our company contributes to a sustainable society, by conserving⁵ these materials”

他说：“我们的地球自然资源是有限的，我们公司通过回收这些物资，为建设可持续性社会做出贡献。”

Ji says about 90 percent of what is brought here gets recycled.

吉恩槿说，送到这里的废品中，大约90%获得再利用。

Accumulating mounds⁶ of electronic trash is not only a concern in technologically-advanced South Korea.

堆积如山的电子废品不仅仅是技术发达的韩国所面临的问题。

The United Nations reports millions of tons of the world’s e-waste winds up in developing countries. There, toxic materials like lead and mercury pose a severe health risk. That is despite international agreements that ban the export of discarded electronics.

尽管国际条约禁止出口电子废品，可是联合国报告说，全球有千百万吨的电子废品最后落到发展中国家，铅和汞等有毒物质给当地带来严重的健康威胁。

 Since 2009, the Seoul City government has partnered with the SR Center to collect e-waste from the public and private sectors⁷.

2009年以来，首尔市政府和回收中心合作，从政府和私营行业回收电子废品。

Seoul’s Lee Tae-hong says recycling is also a security matter in the digital age.

首尔居民李泰宏（译音，Lee Tae-hong）说，在数码时代，回收工作还是一个安全措施。

“If devices like phones are not recycled, then they could illegally end up in other countries like China or in Southeast Asia, and personal data could be stolen,” he said.

他说：“如果像电话这样的电子产品不回收，那么它们可能会非法落到中国或者东南亚国家，个人资料可能被盗。”

Even though recycling centers like this limit the amount of landfill-bound electronics, it is not enough, according to some environmental watchdog groups.

一些环保组织说，虽然像这样的回收中心可以减少扔进垃圾掩埋场的电子废品，可是还不够。

Digitally-savvy South Koreans keep buying more gadgets⁸. In the end, some estimate that about 21 percent of the country’s total e-waste actually gets properly recycled.

精通数码技术的韩国人不停地购买电子产品，绿色消费者网络的李柱洪(译音，Lee Joo-hong)估计，全韩国的电子废品中，大约有21%得到妥善回收。

That is according to Lee Joo-hong of the Green Consumers Network. He says the average South Korean purchases a new mobile phone every one and a half years.

李柱洪说，韩国人平均每一年半购买一个新手机。

“People change their phones so quickly partially⁹ because companies offer big subsidies¹⁰ to buy new products," he said. "And Korean consumers do not want to feel left out by not having the latest model.”

他说：“大家换手机的速度非常快，部分原因是手机公司对购买新产品给予很大的优惠。韩国消费者觉得没有最新款式的手机，自己就落伍了。”

Ji Un-geun of Seoul’s recycling center agrees that consumer habits are a big reason why old phones keep piling up here. But he says he is doing his part to reduce that.

首尔回收中心的吉恩槿说，旧手机堆积如山的一大原因是消费习惯，不过他说，他在尽自己的力量减少这种现象。

“I have had this same phone for 10 years," he said. "It is what I can do to help conserve¹¹ our natural resources”

他说：“我的手机已经用了十年了，这是我为了保护自然资源所能做的。”

Ji says more South Korean cities need to start their own recycling programs to keep up with the increasing loads of e-waste.

他说，为了处理越来越多的电子废品，韩国应该有更多的城市建立回收项目。