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the way e-waste is collected at transfer stations (that I've been to) where they don't let people pick through and take stuff is _fine_ as long as the e-waste company is facilitating sufficient levels of re-use.
But I really think the local people should be able to pick through the local people's electronics. Especially kids. Free e-waste for children and I'm not joking!!
I grew up before e-waste was a thing and there were very often old computers, electronics and AV gear at the town dump. This gave me such a jumpstart to tinkering!! I still use some of the parts and cables I got back then including a tascam 4-track mixer.
maybe everything is fine and kids are getting their hands on plenty of old gear, who am I to say. I still think reuse should be as local as possible.
@Trav Totally agree. As a kid in the 1970s I spent many years making electronic things using germanium pnp transistors and other passive components salvaged from PCBs that I pulled from an old Burroughs computer that was dumped in a skip.
I still recycle old parts if I can. Actually I used one of the 1960s dated capacitors from that Burroughs machine in a project just a few days ago (it still measures good, but it was a non critical application anyway).