The Pros And Cons Of Electronic Waste

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Electronic Waste Taking Over
Electronic waste is one of the most rapidly growing problems of the world. The cost to humanity and the earth’s ecosystem for wanting to have the latest and greatest electronic device whether it is a new I-pod, cell phone, computer, tablet or TV is staggering amounts of electronic waste. Electronic waste, or as it is more commonly referred to, e-waste, is any unwanted electronic device. It does not matter if the piece of technology is still working or not. Once the owner no longer finds value in keeping it, it becomes waste. Most people do not know what to do with their old technology. They wait for their municipalities to run a program that allows them to donate their old equipment for recycling and happily unload the old stuff which, in some cases, means that the technology they are getting rid of is only 6 months old adding to the mountains of e-waste in the world.
Nate Rawlings (2013) states in his article, “Emerging Economies Now the Leading Producers of E-Waste,” that “the overall amount of e-waste is expected to grow 33 percent in the next five years, from 48.9 million tons last year to 65.4 million tons in 2017. That’s the same weight as 200 Empire State Buildings.” Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is a fast growing industry and the huge amount of electronics disposed of each year is not just basic waste that is harmless. Each electronic device contains a variety of toxic substances. When e-waste is dumped into landfills, these substances can leach into the soil and groundwater over time. If the e-waste is burned, then more toxic chemicals are released into the air, and both the leaching of the chemicals into the ground and water and the releasing of toxins into the air progress...

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...ng and disposal
• Protective protocol for workers in e-waste disposal
• Bilateral and multilateral cooperation – awareness building.
Citizens have a role e-waste management as well. We can reuse electronics by donating them where needed rather than disposing of them, when buying products pick those that are made of less toxic materials, build public awareness of the hazards of e-waste in our communities and globally.
Technology is an important part of our lives. Hopefully, technology can also become part of solving the problems we face with disposing of e-waste. There must be a desire to stop the use of hazardous chemicals, stop the e-waste from piling up and seeping into the landscape, the atmosphere, wildlife and our bodies. The health of not only our planet and the various ecosystems depend on finding a workable solution, but our human existence as well.

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