2018, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Reece Wilson, Miles Scharte, Fossil Ridge High School
Reece and Miles found that a common component in electronics is palladium. It is in the screens and circuitry because of its magnetic properties. Exposure, ingestion and inhalation can cause birth defects and damage the heart, liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys. They found it was rare to hear about electronic waste recycling in Fort Collins. As a result, e-waste many people were improperly disposing of their electronics. They decided education their community and sponsor a free collection of e-waste. They collected 1,137 pounds of e-waste! Their collection included 14 printers, 14 computers, 12 VCRs, 19 phones, and 15 monitors.