双语新闻：联合国报告：电子垃圾堆积如山

A United Nations report warns that no longer used electronics, called "e-waste," is increasing worldwide. It adds that recycling rates of e-waste remain low.

联合国的一份报告警告说，不再使用的电子产品，即“电子垃圾”，在全球范围内正在增加。报告补充说，电子垃圾的回收率仍然很低。

The waste comes from devices such as mobile phones, electronic toys, TVs, microwave ovens, e-cigarettes, laptop computers, and solar panels.

这些垃圾来自手机、电子玩具、电视、微波炉、电子烟、笔记本电脑和太阳能电池板等设备。

The report does not include waste from electronic vehicles, which are counted separately.

该报告不包括电动汽车产生的废物，后者是单独计算的。

The U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the research group UNITAR wrote the report. It said about 62 million metric tons of "e-waste" were created in 2022. The report estimates the amount will increase 32 percent by 2030. The report said metals, including copper, gold, and iron, worth a total of about $91 billion are wasted.

联合国联合国国际电信联盟(ITU)和研究小组训研所撰写了这份报告。该机构表示，2022年大约产生了6200万吨“电子垃圾”。该报告估计，到2030年，这一数字将增长32%。报告说，包括铜、金和铁在内的金属价值总计约910亿美元被浪费。

The U.N. said 22 percent of e-waste was collected and recycled in 2022. The U.N. agencies expect that amount to fall to 20 percent by 2030 for several reasons. These include the increasing number of devices, lack of repairs, shorter device lifespan, and not enough waste management systems.

联合国表示，2022年有22%的电子垃圾被收集和回收。联合国机构预计，由于几个原因，到2030年这一比例将降至20%。这些问题包括设备数量增加、缺乏维修、设备寿命缩短以及没有足够的废物管理系统。

Some of the e-waste contains dangerous substances, such as the element mercury, the report said. It also contains some rare-earth metals needed to make electronic devices. Currently, recycling supplies only one percent of the demand for the 17 rare metals.

报告称，一些电子垃圾含有危险物质，如汞元素。它还含有一些制造电子设备所需的稀土金属。目前，回收只提供了17种稀有金属需求的1%。

The report said about half of all e-waste comes from Asia where few countries have laws on e-waste or collection targets. Recycling and collection rates are more than 40 percent in Europe. However, Europe also produces the highest amount of e-waste per person: nearly 18 kilograms.

该报告称，大约一半的电子垃圾来自亚洲，而亚洲几乎没有国家对电子垃圾或收集目标制定法律。欧洲的回收和收集率超过40%。然而，欧洲人均产生的电子垃圾也最多:近18公斤。

Africa has the least e-waste of any of the five big regions worldwide. However, its recycling and collection rates are about 1 percent, the report said.

在全球五大地区中，非洲的电子垃圾最少。然而，报告称，它的回收和收集率约为1%。

"The latest research shows that the global challenge posed by e-waste is only going to grow," said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava. He is head of the ITU telecommunication development group.

“最新的研究表明，电子垃圾带来的全球挑战只会越来越大，”Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava说。他是国际电联电信发展小组的负责人。

Collecting e-waste to survive

收集电子垃圾以求生存

For some people, e-waste is a way to earn money by looking through trash to find valuable metals and parts. However, the work comes with health risks.

对一些人来说，电子垃圾是通过在垃圾中寻找有价值的金属和零件来赚钱的一种方式。然而，这项工作也有健康风险。

Dandora dumpsite is a place where waste from the city of Nairobi, Kenya is put. There, Steve Okoth tries to find material he can sell to businesses. But he knows the work can harm his health.

丹多拉垃圾场是肯尼亚内罗毕市垃圾的堆放地。在那里，Steve Okoth试图找到可以卖给企业的材料。但他知道这份工作会损害他的健康。

"When the e-waste comes here, it contains some powder which affects my health," he said. He added that when the e-waste heats up, it releases harmful gases and he "can't come to work because of chest problems."

“当电子垃圾来到这里时，它含有一些粉末，会影响我的健康，”他说。他补充说，当电子垃圾升温时，它会释放有害气体，他“因为胸部问题不能来上班”。

Still, Okoth said he and others like him don't have any other choice: "We are now used to the smoke because if you don't go to work, you will not eat."

不过，奥科斯说，他和其他像他一样的人没有其他选择:“我们现在已经习惯了烟雾，因为如果你不去上班，你就不会吃饭。”

Recycling centers and the environment

回收中心和环境

Kenya is taking steps to recycle e-waste. Nairobi's WEEE recycling center has collection points across the country. People can safely give away old electronic equipment at these places.

肯尼亚正在采取措施回收电子垃圾。内罗毕的报废电子电气设备回收中心在全国各地都有收集点。人们可以在这些地方安全地赠送旧电子设备。

Catherine Wasolia is WEEE's chief operating officer. She said workers examine the devices for data and clean them. Then they test the devices to see if they can be reused in some way.

Catherine Wasolia是WEEE的首席运营官。她说，工作人员会检查设备中的数据并进行清理。然后他们测试这些设备，看看它们是否可以以某种方式重复使用。

George Masila said that when it rains, water gets into the e-waste. He said this can harm water quality and could bring unwanted substances into the soil.

乔治·马西拉说，下雨时，水会进入电子垃圾。他说，这可能会损害水质，并将有害物质带入土壤。

He said greater recycling and re-use of electronics, "are some of the things we should be considering."

他说，更多地回收和再利用电子产品“是我们应该考虑的一些事情”。

Writers of the UN report noted that many people in developing countries make money by recovering materials from e-waste. The report called for them to be trained and given safety equipment for their work.

联合国报告的作者指出，发展中国家的许多人通过从电子垃圾中回收材料赚钱。该报告呼吁对他们进行培训，并为他们的工作提供安全设备。