Head outside and search your tool shed and you will be amazed to find equipments in there for milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, and drilling which are no longer of any use. And it is important to concur that tossing out worn out electronics instead of recycling them does more harm than good and society has reaped enough benefits with ignorant disposal of cheap electronic devices.
Following the growth in the electronics industry has explosive led to an escalating issue of end-of-life (EOL) electronics or e-waste. E-waste is undesired electronics that have the potential of harming our ecosystem if they are carelessly disposed of. Hence, it should also be understood that electronic waste is among the fastest-growing segments of our nation’s waste stream. It literally subsumes that any electronic device beyond repair can no longer be used and has become obsolete. In fact, in landfills or primitive recycling operations, toxic materials have been recorded to be released from old electronic devices into the environment.
To wit, a recent report by the World Economic Forum states that E-waste is presently the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, with 48.5 million tons recorded in 2018. Moreover, E-waste is not limited to devices we use for online searches, exploring the digital realm, and reaching out via messages, and other types of ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and telecommunications equipment. The definition can include office devices like photocopying equipment and pocket or desk calculators, automated dispensers for hot drinks, bottles or cans, and ATMs.
Therefore, the safe recycling of electronics is receiving increased attention from legislators, industry, and consumers alike. This trend is positive news because many consumers are yet not sure how to safely dispose of old computers, smartphones or other electronic equipment. According to one report, nearly 75 percent of old electronics are perennially stored in households because of the lack of awareness of convenient recycling options.
Why is electronics recycling important?
Rich Source of Raw Materials: Globally, about 10-15 percent of the gold in e-waste is successfully recovered while the rest is lost. Additionally United Nations highlights that all electronic waste contains deposits of precious metal estimated to be almost 50 times richer than ores mined from the earth. As ironic as it may sound, the importance of an informed recycling method is evident.
Solid Waste Management: Owing to the sudden growth in the electronics industry, combined with the short product life cycle, it has led to a rapid escalation in the generation of solid waste which, when disposed of improperly, can pollute the air and soil and seep into water sources.
Toxic Materials: As old electronic devices hold toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium, proper processing is necessary to avoid the release of these materials into the environment. They may also be replete with some heavy metals that are potentially toxic chemical flame retardants.
International Movement of Hazardous Waste: The uncontrolled movement of e-waste to countries like India, where cheap labor and primitive approaches to recycling are rampant, is a major concern. This has effected into health risks of residents exposed to the release of toxins from the waste stream.
To sum up, a quick Google search will thus provide a list of organizations in most areas that rebuild old electronics and provide them to those who would otherwise go without. Here “Reuse” is an important component of keeping material out of the waste stream. And on the manufacturing front, where products like cell phones have been designed to become obsolete faster and faster, encouraging the development of products with longer life spans as one component of the e-waste management strategy will go a long way.
Dipanjan Purkayastha is Co-Founder & CEO, hyperXchange-online-to-offline electronics recommerce platform)
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Published on: Tuesday, May 03, 2022, 04:56 PM IST
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