Digital Cameras May Be Good for the Environment

Most people who purchase digital cameras are not thinking about their purchase in terms of how environmentally conscious it is. There has evidentially been a digital camera revolution, as digital technology has evolved considerably over the past decade, and with all the pollution that has been brought about by other forms of recent technology, particularly by cell phones, and SUVs, we ought to consider the increasing use of the digital camera.

The most recent production of digital cameras offers a slender and compact battery back that is rechargeable when necessary. There is no need to ever buy batteries again. The digital memory card also allows consumers to take a lot more pictures at a much lower cost than buying a roll of film. In addition, being able to print photos at home or easily share them online makes it unnecessary to pay to have photos developed. For all of these reasons, people are buying digital cameras. Their potential consumer savings and convenience ultimately outweigh their initial cost. However, what consumers probably are not aware of, may be that these enhanced benefits of the digital camera could furthermore offer benefits to our environment.

Batteries contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and nickel, which may leach from solid waste landfills and result in contamination of ground water, and soil. Batteries cause pollution in lakes and streams as the metals vaporize when they are incinerated. They also expose the environment to potentially hazardous levels of lead and acid, as they contain strongly corrosive acids. In some states, all batteries are considered hazardous waste when they are discarded. In 1996, the Battery Act was passed into law to address two primary issues according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The act was to help phase out the use of harmful mercury in batteries and to offer new collection methods for batteries including proper disposal of batteries and recycling. Batteries that settle in landfills or are burned by way of an incinerator eventually leak into the environment, contributing harmful substances to the food chain, which may cause serious health risks to humans and animals.

Photo processing can be very hazardous to the environment, as the film is exposed to several potentially harmful chemicals, both developer solutions and fixer solutions, and once they are used, those chemicals must be discarded and therefore released into the natural environment. Believe it or not, there are not many laws preventing photo-processing centers from the unsafe handling of hazardous chemicals, and as a result these chemicals are often simply flushed down the drain. They enter our water supply system and make their way into rivers, streams, and the ocean, contaminating communities.

How many more people used to purchase disposable cameras before owning a digital camera? They are affordable and can be thrown away when the consumer is done developing the photos. Disposable cameras are made of cheap plastics whose factories contribute to air, water and soil pollution. Most plastics are not biodegradable and end up filling our landfills, leaching their toxic production chemicals over-time. In many American households it never used to be uncommon for people to have drawers of old disposable cameras with undeveloped film. Eventually, they wound up throwing these cameras into the trash. What a waste!

Obviously, we are now a generation wrapped up in Internet communications. Using digital cameras we no longer have to waste quite as much paper and ink to print our precious photos, as it is very fast and easy to upload images to the world wide web, thus to share with the world-our friends, family, and co-workers online. In turn, we have in a way cut back on the use of paper, and the production of chemical waste.

The latest digital cameras are essentially environment and consumerist friendly and therefore have been awarded as efficient and powerful technology advancements. So, when purchasing a digital camera or any new form of technology for that matter, perhaps ask not only what it can do for you, but also what it can do for your county?