每日一翻：Better E-Waste Handling Helps Environment and Health

The town of Agbogbloshie in the West African country of Ghana has been called a digital dumping ground. Millions of tons of discarded electronics wind up there annually, so people can try to recover anything of value. It’s therefore one of the most polluted places in the world, because workers burn plastic coatings to get at the metal in the guts of gadgets.

西非国家加纳的阿伯布罗西小镇曾经一度被叫做电子垃圾场。每年有数以百万吨的电子废物涌入，所以人们在这可以找回任何有价值的东西。因为工人们通过焚烧配件的外壳获取里面的金属，这使那里成为世界上污染最重的地方。

But Agbogbloshie is about to get cleaner, thanks to the opening of a new facility for handling such e-waste. Four machines that can strip plastic will prevent the burning that produces hazardous smoke.

E-waste is a large and growing problem thanks to the large and growing appetite for electronics. Responsible recyclers exist, but too much e-waste still ends up being exported and improperly disposed of in places like Agbogbloshie.

因为电子产品需求大大增加，电子垃圾成为一个越来越紧迫的大问题。虽有负责回收的人员，但是很多电子垃圾依然不能被妥善处理而被出口到像阿伯布罗西这样的地方。

The worst e-waste remains batteries. The most common type, lead-acid batteries, are classified as toxic waste once used. And more and more rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are finding their way into landfills and other unsafe disposal sites.

最差的电子垃圾是电池。最普遍的铅酸电池一旦使用就变为有毒废弃物。越来越多的可充电的锂电池被送到填埋场或者在其他不安全的处理站。

But the problem of e-waste can be solved with proper recycling. The new machines in Agbogbloshie should be able to strip enough wires to produce about 10 metric tons of copper a month. That’s good news for livelihoods—and lungs—of local residents.

但是通过合理的回收，这个问题是被解决的。阿伯布罗西的新机器每个月能够从电线中拨出10吨的铜。这对于当地居民的生计和空气都是个好消息。

—David Biello