'Electronic waste difficult to recycle'

Environmentalists suspect that mercury pollution of groundwater and rivers is caused by the improper disposal of batteries and other electronics components. The technology trend has lured people to frequently replace household gadgets, including computers and cellular phones. Most people are unaware of the looming environmental threat in the accumulation of hi-tech waste, for which recycling and disposal processes have yet to be established here. The Jakarta Post asked some residents about how they disposed of their old gadgets.

Seniwati, 28, works at a trading company in West Jakarta. She lives in a boarding house also in West Jakarta:

I get a bit paranoid about our garbage pile. I often imagine that we will someday be drowned in our garbage.

Out of all my garbage, I hate electronic junk the most, because it is very difficult to recycle. On top of that, the continuing development in technology cajoles us to believe we need more sophisticated electronic equipment all the time, thus we have to throw away the old ones.

I always give some thought before buying electronic devices. Will it last long? Can I use it for a long time even when a newer model appears?

I have a broken VCD player that now just sits in the living room. I don't have the time to repair it. I will just sell it or give it to a scavenger.

Yuni, 28, is a translator at a company in Central Jakarta. She lives in Depok with her sister's family:

I just keep my electronic junk at home, because I don't know how to get rid of it.

I have kept a broken small-sized television set for three or four months now. I hope I will have time to bring it to the repair shop someday.

Also I have kept a radio component for about a year. I don't want to throw it away because I know I can still use it somehow.

Actually I feel reluctant to go to the repair shop, because I went there to fix some equipment once and it came back in a worse condition. --The Jakarta Post