It's sad. For a lot of iPad buyers, 500 dollar or Euro is a lot of money. One can only hope that the majority of them will be recycled, or it is an ecological disaster as well. (If mining of the necessary resources isn't already.) Of course, it's not just Apple. Many Android phones are neglected by their vendors as well. At some point we have to consider, whether we are willing to waste that many resources and money…
Really, an ecological disaster? I tend to think of a disaster in terms of oil spills, nuclear meltdowns, etc. Somehow this doesn't seem to be quite the same class. Are you sure you aren't exaggerating just a bit?
Hell, just go to China, or any of the many mining towns that still exist in the US - it's like a small oil spill, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, lasting decades at a time.