Go Green & Recycle your E-waste (Electronic Waste)
Have you changed your mobile phone, ipod or TV recently and not sure what to do with the old ones?
In today’s world, new electronic equipments are launching every day with the boom in the technology which leads to growing electronic waste (e-waste). In developed countries, e-waste is increasing heavily that leads to the disposal of these equipments a problem. To tackle this, the efficient disposal and recycling of e-waste methods were introduced.
What is E-waste?
E-waste, also known as electronic waste include the electronic and electric appliances like television, computers, toasters, kettles, mobile phones, stereo systems, gaming devices, fridge, washing machines etc., almost all the household and official products with electrical components that were out of use. Due to constant product replacement and introduction of new and updated models lead to the growth of e-waste.
Why is e-waste disposal important?
Unlike general municipal waste, e-waste has a mixture of hazardous and valuable materials which will be harmful to the environ...
...and greatest” mentality. Consumers throw away perfectly good food, electronics, etc. Society has conditioned to think objects and materials show wealth and stature. We are raised to except trash and garbage as anything that is be out dated, or slightly imperfect. High standards and expectations from relaters and consumers force us to buy excessively. If you don’t acquire these fancy popular gadgets then you are not living the normal state of living, giving the impression you can’t afford or poor. If one lacks the newest and coolest phone or gadget they are looked down on. This mentality is extremely toxic to our pockets and society. In conclusion it is crucial that we implement less damaging and toxic waste management disposal system.
The article, “Our E-Waste Problem is Ridiculous, and Gadget Makers Aren’t Helping,” by Christina Bonnington, focused the process of electronic devices to be recycled, the challenges of recycling electronic waste, and making devices more recyclable. First, Bonnington described the recycling process. Depending on the condition on the product will determine if it will be reused or stripped down to be destroyed. According to the author, having a simpler design makes the reprocessing easier to bare the electronics for turning into materials. Next, the author mentioned the challenges of recycling. One challenge is how electronics are becoming more compact and tougher to strip apart to separate the materials. Conferring to Bonnington, batteries are
Electronic waste, or any waste for that matter is an inevitable part of an economic system where the destruction of an ecosystem is the primarily source of resources that are used to create the product. The waste that occurs from this process has to be disposed of in some way and more often than not, it is disposed of carelessly with out consideration to the affect it would have on the environment or the very people that create and let capitalism live on, “The political economy approach also defers progress on environmental issues to a pint after economic ones are solved” (Robbins et al. 2010, 114). And if this continues there may be no place left for the excess waste created by capitalism.
E-waste is an enormous problem around the world and according to the “United Nation Environment Program 20 to 50 million tons of E-waste is generated worldwide annually (Ford)”. In fact, “ten thousand cell phones wind up in a landfill every day (Weston)”. When electronic waste is improperly dispose of it can cause problems to the environment and human health. Human health could be affected by toxic materials leaking into the drinking water or food supply. The materials in cell phones “contain lead, cadmium, and mercury that can potentially leak contaminant into the soil and groundwater (Mosieur)”. “Lead exposure to humans will damage to the nervous system, blood and kidneys and mercury exposure will cause brain damage (e-Catcher)”.
Dell, a global major IT infrastructure provider, has been at the forefront of applying the concepts of Circular Economy to the industry. With improved supply chain management, it has been able to tackle the problem of huge accumulations of e-waste, which comprises metals as well as plastics. A research has revealed that around 50 million tons of e-waste get discarded every year globally, which is a massive burden on the planet. By practicing reverse logistics of takeaways of obsolete computer hardware, Dell is able to release metals like gold, tin, and tungsten into the commodity markets and plastics back into
Statistically, US alone is the leading country in the volume of high-tech trash with 30 kilograms per person and 9.4 million metric tons of e-waste per year. Followed by ...
On the other hand, major industry firm should be enforced and pressured to avoid any hazardous chemicals during creating their products. They should prepared plan for electronic waste when they are producing every electronic product. Also, industry and people should ensure that their products are properly been disposed and recycled during the electronic waste procedure.
Waste management is the operation of how waste materials are handled. The affair of waste management is relevant to everyone world-wide. Wastes are materials that have no further economic use, and when disposed of, are hazardous to humans and the environment. Wastes include solid waste, liquid wastes, and air pollutants created by humans and cannot be naturally recycled. Current waste management techniques need to be completely overhauled because funding in government budget is not enough to meet standards, landfills are reaching their maximum capacity worldwide, and nuclear waste storage must be handled correctly. Waste management has been a highly thought about complication for global authorities. Due to
...ion even more. We tend to shop for more products that we want because we are never contented on what we have. This results into an increase amount of electronic waste products that often end up in our landfills, or are being burned in incinerators, all to which are the cause of air, land, and water pollution.
Nowadays, electronic goods become popular and important in our society. To serve the consumers, the productions of electronic goods dramatically increase. The world produces over 40 million tons of electronic goods per year, such as, phones, televisions, computers, laptops. There is a large amount of electronic wastes (e-wastes) go to the landfill every year (Honorine, 2010). Therefore, at this moment, electronic wastes become a serious problem in the world. They are a global issue, especially, in developed countries. Electronic wastes affect the economic, the environment and the political. First of all, the status of e-waste will be analyzed and discuss. Next, e-wastes influence the economy and the political. Third, e-wastes affect the environment
Umesi, Napoleon O., and Sinclair Onyia. "Disposal Of E-Wastes In Nigeria: An Appraisal Of Regulations And Current Practices." International Journal Of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 15.6 (2008): 565-573. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2011.
E-Waste Management (Waste like Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, etc.) – The total waste generated by the electronic industry amounts to 1600000 tonnes per annum. In India the e-waste problem has not been properly addressed Hazardous waste rules 1989(amended in 2003).
For the sustainable development of the society it is very important to judiciously handle the environmental issues like the solid waste management. In order to manage the solid waste effectively we need to understand the composition and all the activities that follow once the waste is generated. Basically the composition and the characteristics of the waste depends a whole lot of factors and also vary periodically.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, has become a rising environmental issue in the world today. E-waste is an expression used to describe unwanted, dysfunctional, or obsolete electronic products that are nearing the end of their useful life (“What Is E-Waste?”). The products encompassed by the term are a broad spectrum of appliances ranging from household items such as refrigerators, microwaves, and ovens to everyday modern technology like smartphones, computers, TVs, and stereos (“E-Waste Information”). E-waste consists of many toxic chemicals that are detrimental to environmental health and human well-being (“Electronic Waste - The Truth”). The main cause of e-waste is the improper recycling of e-waste which leads to the slow accumulation of electronics