What are you understand to e waste?
E-waste, or electronic waste, refers to electrical and electronic equipment that has become outdated, unused, or broken. Anything from smartphones to refrigerators that have reached the end of their useful lives falls into this category. Basically, something you've wanted to get rid of that works on electricity. We just recycle 10% of our electronic waste globally, which is both disturbing and depressing. The 90 percent of waste that we don't recycle is either landfilled, incinerated, or illegally exchanged.
E waste certificate for Mobile phones, tablets, and laptops: the proliferation of digital devices is becoming a concern for the environment because their recycling rate is low once they reach the end of their useful lives — nearly 50 million tones of technological scrap is produced every year — It must be improved if climate change is to be slowed and environmental damage avoided.
ELECTRONIC WASTE TYPES
How many cellphones have you owned in your life? The response to this question will give you an idea of the environmental effects of technical waste, also known as e-waste. Consumers replaced their phones every 15 months in 2018, according to Market Watch. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines electronic waste as any device that is operated by electricity and has reached the end of its useful life. But this isn't all about cellphones. Let's take a look at some of the different forms of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) that exist today, as specified by an EU directive:
Refrigerators, freezers, and other cooling devices.
Computers and telecommunications devices are examples of this.
Solar panels and consumer electronic products.
TVs, computers, and displays are all examples of electronic devices.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Vending machines are machines that sell goods.
What is it about e-waste that makes it so bad?
E-waste includes a laundry list of substances that are hazardous to humans and the environment, including arsenic, lead, beryllium, brominated flame retardants, and cadmium, to name a few. These contaminants end up in our soil, water, and air when electronics are mishandled during disposal.
To make matters worse, electronic waste is occasionally illegally shipped to countries where there are no regulations governing its handling and disposal. It's discarded once it's arrived. Valuable items are occasionally retrieved, but mostly in hazardous working environments.
THE WORLD'S PROBLEM WITH TECHNOLOGICAL WASTE
In 2018, the world produced 48.5 million tonnes of electronic waste, according to a UN study. This figure emphasises the increasing importance of recycling, but it also reveals some alarming statistics: just 20% of this waste is recycled. If current trends continue, the United Nations estimates that by 2050, we will have produced 120 million tonnes of electronic waste.
The amount of e-waste generated around the world, as well as poor recycling management, pose a threat to the environment. Cadmium, silver, lead oxide, antimony, nickel, and mercury are among the most common substances contained in these discarded products. These toxic elements pollute rivers, lakes, and seas, as well as emit gases that disrupt ecosystems. As a result, reverting to a production and use model that eliminates electronic waste can no longer be postponed. If you want to stop this e waste and start your organization then you can buy machine e waste recycling machine price in India is starting 10 to 15 lakh or above.
One of the solutions to the issue is responsible consumption, which can extend the useful life of goods and slow the development of waste. "In the face of an inadequate recycling scheme, the reuse of technical devices has become the only alternative for reducing electronic waste levels," says Thibaud de Larauze, CEO of Back Market. This French business, which chose electronic refurbishment in 2014, was hailed as one of Europe's most revolutionary.
HOW Will WE REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TECHNOLOGICAL WASTE?
According to Peter Bakker, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, "global e-waste is the fastest growing waste source" (WBCSD). Faced with this, he is calling for immediate action. Let's take a look at a few examples:
Reduce
We are using an increasing number of devices and replacing them on a regular basis. The user, who should be less vulnerable to marketing tactics that promote consumption, as well as manufacturers, who are gradually implementing policies like ecodesign, are also responsible for changing this habit.
Reuse
Experts in electronic recycling advise that gadgets that are still functional be passed on to friends or family or sold on the secondary market. There's also the option of donating them to a charity of your choice.
Recycle
When an object is no longer functional and there is no risk that it will be used by anyone nearby, recycling should be considered. One choice for the customer is to return the old computer to the store where the new one is being bought, or to an electronic refurbishment company.
Goal 12 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasises the need to "ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns." This means achieving ecologically appropriate management over the life cycle of discarded electronic products, as well as reducing the release of poisons into the atmosphere, water, and soil to minimise their harmful effects on human health and the ecosystem.
THE BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGICAL WASTE RECYCLING
Mineral extraction from natural resources is 13 times more expensive than recovering them from technological waste for the manufacture of new devices, according to a study published in 2019 by the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Obtaining minerals such as platinum, copper, and palladium necessitates not only digging them up and refining them, but also massive amounts of water and electricity. This is where the circular economy idea comes in, which is focused on the use of products from recycled objects and less reliance on the production of virgin resources.
Recycling electronic devices not only helps the environment, but it also has other advantages. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that properly recycling these products will produce over $62.5 billion in annual opportunities and millions of new jobs around the world. With this in mind, both this organisation and the UN have set a goal of increasing global recycling to 30% and reaching 50% in countries that have e-waste legislation.
Bad practices in the handling of e-waste are a hindrance, and they abound in the countries with the most of it, ironically. We're talking about developing countries in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that are having a detrimental effect on the climate due to a lack of appropriate infrastructure. The most common illegal method is "informal recycling," which involves using harmful materials in the open air and in acid baths.
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