The environmental organization Greenpeace Argentina is calling for the swift approval of a proposed law on the collection and management of electronic waste, which was tabled in the country’s legislature four years ago. “The bill has already been passed in the Senate, and if it isn’t addressed in the Chamber of Deputies, it will fall,” Greenpeace Argentina political director Eugenia Testa told Tierramérica.

In 2011, 10 million mobile phones were disposed of in Argentina, representing the waste of 228 kilos of gold, 1,750 kilos of silver and 81,000 kilos of copper, according to Greenpeace. The estimated combined value of these metals is close to 15 million dollars.

In view of these wasted resources and the contamination caused by various components of disposed electronic equipment, environmental activists are pushing for legislation for the recycling of recoverable metal components and the proper treatment and disposal of the remaining and often toxic waste materials.