VOA常速英语2014--韩国努力回收电子垃圾

South Korea Launches Initiative to Recycle More E-Waste 韩国努力回收电子垃圾

SEOUL— 

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 toxic 1 chemicals, some local governments are launching specialized 2 e-waste recycling programs.

It is the end of the road for these broken, outdated 3 and unwanted electronics.

这就是这些破旧过时的废弃电子产品的最终归宿。

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, copper 4 or rare earths can be extracted -- a 3.8 billion-dollar industry, according to the government.

首尔市每年仍掉大约10吨的电子垃圾，其中五分之一的电子垃圾来到这个回收站。在这个SR中心，各种设备被分拣起来，这样金、铜或稀土等昂贵的金属可以提出出来，政府称这个行业价值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.

但是该回收站的CEOJi Un-geun说，这么做不仅是为了赚取利润，也是为了保护环境。

“Our planet has a limited amount of natural resources," he said. "Our company contributes to a sustainable society, by conserving 5 these materials”

“地球上的自然资源很有限，我们公司通过回收这些材料来为可持续型社会做出贡献。”

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

他说运到这里来的电子垃圾有90%的都得到回收利用。

Accumulating mounds 6 of electronic trash is not only a concern in technologically-advanced South Korea.  

担心这些大批积累起来的电子垃圾的，不仅仅是科技发达的韩国。

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.

联合国报告称全世界数百万吨的电子垃圾最终流往发展中国家，有毒材料如铅和汞等对这些国家构成了严重的健康威胁，尽管有禁止出口这些废弃电子产品的国际协议，这种行为仍无法禁止。

 Since 2009, the Seoul City government has partnered with the SR Center to collect e-waste from the public and private sectors 7.

自2009年以来，首尔市政府和SR中心以来从公共和企业部门回收电子垃圾。

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

首尔的Lee Tae-hong说，在数字时代，回收也涉及安全问题。

“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.

“如果手机等设备不进行回收，那么它们就会通过非法途径流入中国和东南亚等国，这样个人数据就可能被盗。”

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

一些国际观察机构称，即使是这样的回收中心减少了堆到垃圾堆的电子垃圾的量，这么做仍是不够的。

Digitally-savvy South Koreans keep buying more gadgets 8. In the end, some estimate that about 21 percent of the country’s total e-waste actually gets properly recycled.

精通数字产品的韩国人不断地购买更多设备，最终，有人估计该国约有21%的电子垃圾都得到恰当的回收。

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.

这是绿色消费者网络的Lee Joo-hong说的，他说平均每个韩国人每一年半就要购买一部新手机。

“People change their phones so quickly partially 9 because companies offer big subsidies 10 to buy new products," he said. "And Korean consumers do not want to feel left out by not having the latest model.”

“人们非常频繁地更换手机，这部分是因为各公司给新机购买提供很大的补贴，韩国消费者不想因为不购买最新款就被落在后面。”

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Ji Un-geun人为，消费者习惯是导致旧手机堆积的一大原因，不过他说自己在尽自己一份力来减少这种问题。

“I have had this same phone for 10 years," he said. "It is what I can do to help conserve 11 our natural resources”

“我一部手机用了10年了，这就是我帮助保护自然资源的办法。”

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

他说韩国其他城市也需要启动自己的回收项目，来对付日益增长的电子垃圾问题。