Tag: e-waste

E-Waste

E-waste is an informal name used for electronic waste implying all those electronic products which have reached the end of their useful life, for example, mobile phones, dryer, fax machine and other electronic equipments.

A techno hungry world is emerging facilitated by digital empowerment policies by various governments and is all ready to get upgraded to a generation of 5G and thus due to the emergence of newer electronic products in the market and the improved standard of living, the usage of these electronic products have shot up and so the amount of electronic waste produced every day is growing enormously. According to UN report on environment,2019, the amount of e-waste generated at the world level is about 50 million tonnes but only 20 percent of it is properly recycled.

A joint report has been in 2019 published by World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development which attracts attention for the need of crucial vision in this field. As per the data released in the new Global E-Waste Report, the market value of our spent devices amounts to $62.5 billion, three times more than the annual output of the world’s silver mines. It also informed that more than 120 countries have an annual GDP lower than the value of our growing pile of global e-waste.

India has become one of the largest dumping sites of e-waste by many countries and the domestic production itself accounts for about 2 million tonnes per annum but merely 5 percent of the wastes is recycled.

According to a report published in Times of India, 2019, over 95 percent of e-waste generated is managed by unorganized sector and the scrap dealers in the market, dismantle the disposed products instead of recycling it. The current rate of e-waste generated in India is 4.56 times greater than the annual e-waste processing capacity offered by the nation, which leads to illegal and improper dumping of hazardous waste.

The proper collection, disposal and recycling(management) of e-waste is necessary, for it possess a serious threat to our health. A long exposure to the chemicals, pollutants emitted after dumping the e-waste without following the proper procedures leads to damage of nervous system, skin diseases, heart and liver damage and many other health problems. It also contaminates our natural surroundings, damages the soil quality and also pollutes the water quality.

If plastic pollution in the life below water and life above water is one of the major environmental challenges, the ebb and flow of public opinion should also turn towards to the huge generation of electronic waste in the present era. The numbers are fearsome: 50 million tonnes of e-waste are produced each year, and left unchecked this could more than double to 120 million tonnes by 2050.

In our country, the amount of E-waste generated is increasingly rapidly and with increasing fascination as well as dependence on new technology, the amount of e-waste is expected to grow in the coming years. The main area where our country lacks is in the proper management of electronic wastes. There is no large-scale organised E-waste recycling sector in our country and the largest recycling hotspot are in the unorganised sector and some are illegal too as the largest recycling hotspot of the capital city is in Seemapuri. It is not a hidden truth anymore that working conditions in the unorganised sector is not bed of roses. The poor conditions of the worker as well as the hazardous nature of the wastes that they deal with will always pose a fatal threat to their life. Moreover, the large scale dumping of electronic wastes from developed countries to India owing to availability of abundance of cheap labour and flexible environmental laws further enhances the problem.

The lack of public awareness about the proper disposal of e-waste and lack of proper implementation of laws adds to the problem. There are very few IT companies that actually seriously implement the provision of Extended Producer Responsibility. In most cases electronic wastes remain unattended in the households. As already seen above that due to lack of awareness, people throw waste electronics and electrical equipment with their household wastes. There is a tendency among the people not to care about the things that they have discarded, ignoring the fact that its implication in the long run is going to affect them too.

The laws should be properly implemented; government should try to reach the nook and corner of the country and spread awareness through the provision of Digital world and many more: Let’s bring into use 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. People in their locality as a community need to take steps for keeping their locality clean. As a community they should establish a committee that would oversee the management of all the wastes. There should be educational programme in different localities with the government aid about waste segregation, their harmful impact and how it can be mitigated. But all this would be possible when we as an individual come forward and work together. We need to start the reform from our home, then our locality, then our region, then our country and the world as a whole. The role of youth in this regard is very important. Being one of the most enthusiastic section of society, they carry within themselves a huge reservoir of untapped energy. With proper direction, they can be play major role in spreading awareness as well as in taking initiatives for proper management of electronic or any kind of wastes.

We need to understand that our earth as a whole is on the verge of collapsing, so we can’t let different kinds of waste piling up. Our attention should turn towards such grave issues instead of fighting over petty issues and work together towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle so as to save a future for ourselves and others too. Let’s not make the word ‘sustainable’ a cliché term and should try and have a sustainable approach towards everything.

REFERENCES:

  • Bishnoi, V. N., & Shah, T. (2014), E-Waste: A New Environmental Challenge. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 4(2), pp. 442-447.
  • Down to Earth (2019), Recycling of e-waste in India and its potential.
  • Jadhav, S. (2013), Electronic Waste: A Growing Concern in Today’s Environment Sustainability. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research, 2(2), pp. 139-147.
  • Sikdar, M., Dr., & Vaniya, S. (2014), The New Millennium and Emerging Concerns. International Journal of Scientific and research Publications, 4(2), pp. 1-12.
  • Sivaramanam, S. (2013), E-Waste Management, Disposal and its impacts on the environment. Universal Journal of Environmental Research and Technology, 3(5), pp. 531-537.
  • Uddin, M. J. (2012), Journal and Conference Paper On (Environment) E-Waste Management. IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 2(1), pp. 25-45.
  • UNEP (2010), A Report – recycling- from E-waste to resources. February 22, 2010.
  • World Economic Forum (2019), The world’s e-waste is a huge problem. It’s also a golden opportunity.

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E-Waste

E-waste or electronic waste are those electronic product that are unwanted, not working and nearly at end of their life. E-waste includes almost any household or business item containing with either power or battery supply.

E-waste is a global concern. Many new better technology are coming these days. When new appliances hit the market, old appliances were discarded this generates E-waste.

E-waste contains toxic materials:-

Most appliances contains some form of toxic materials including beryllium, cadmium,mercury and lead which badly affect our soil, water , air and wildlife.

When E-waste buried at landfills, it can dissolve in microscopic traces. These traces of toxic materials pool into ground below landfill known as leaching.

Solution to E-waste

All electronic waste contains some form of recyclable material. It includes plastics, glass and metals.

  1. Reduce the generation of e-waste through smart maintenance.
  2. Reuse the electronic equipment by donating or selling it to someone who still manage too use it.
  3. Recycle those product that can’t be repaired.

E–Waste : the Digital Dark Side

We live in a technologically advanced society where technology is always evolving. Smart phones have supplanted cell phones, LEDs and LCDs have supplanted televisions, and laptops and tablets have supplanted desktop PCs. When a new model of a product is released, the prior one rapidly becomes obsolete, and obsolete things are frequently dumped as waste. These electrical items have reached the end of their useful life and are unwanted, broken, or obsolete. Those who have reached the end of this are referred to as e-waste, which includes electrical devices such as computers, cellphones, televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and so on.

Millions of tonnes of e-waste are produced each year in developed countries; worse, e-waste from illicit countries like Japan, Malaysia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, and India, as well as developed countries like the US and Japan, should be dumped in underdeveloped countries. That was how it used to be. The cost of processing e-waste in wealthy countries is high. This is owing to the low cost of shipbuilding, which stimulates the export of rubbish to developing countries.

In undeveloped countries, where waste is buried, consuming and ill-equipped recycling facilities, local residents, industrial owners, and labourers are allowed to harvest valuable commodities from this garbage according to their needs. To leave the others behind, the majority of them acquire vital knowledge. To recover important components, acid baths and electrical burns are used. These practices, in turn, produce serious health problems and may injure those who engage in them. Circuit boards, electric parts, mono boards, and cables are likely to include hazardous metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, copper, cadmium, nickel, zinc, gold, silver, and beryllium.

These metals have been linked to the release of hazardous chemicals into the environment via soil, causing health issues in both animals and humans. Chemicals can most likely be produced on land, resulting in both land and water pollution.

Polychlorinated biphenyl and polybrominated defanel ether, two important components of e-waste, have a dangerous side effect.
They are the leading causes of ozone depletion. These poisons are also stored in food chains and food traps, posing a serious threat to all species on the planet.

Indeed, e-expanding waste’s environmental imprint is a matter of concern. The growing amount of e-waste must be managed by both consumers and producers. Reusable components are found in the majority of electronic materials.

This reusable component contains metals such as copper, aluminium, lead, and iron. A unique eco-friendly procedure should be developed to properly extract this chemical from garbage items.
Both manufacturers and licenced recyclers must promote recycling models. Producers can enter the recycling chain by providing a collecting service and, compared to the unorganised sector, can raise their buyback offer. Consumers have a natural predisposition to see trash as having economic worth, which is where financial incentives to engage in the formal recycling system can be supplied. They should be persuaded to get rid of all of their technological equipment. Many businesses, including as Dell, Apple, and HP, have started recycling programmes. When it comes to trash disposal, the 3R approach, which includes reuse and recycling, can be extremely beneficial.

E-Parisissa is a remarkable initiative for e-waste treatment in India. Every year, Bangalore generates 8000 tonnes of computer waste, which is then sold to scrap merchants. E-Parisia, India’s first e-waste recycling facility, is located on the outskirts of the city and is environmentally friendly. Its mission is to reduce pollution and landfill trash via environmentally friendly recycling of valuable metals, plastic, and glass.