E-Waste: The New Worrying but Easily Solvable Pollution
Assia discusses the mounting danger which E-waste poses to the climate and ways in which we can contribute to E-waste management solutions and initiatives
You might have heard the word “E-waste” before without exactly knowing what it refers to. E-waste refers to the unwanted, inutile electronic products which include but are not limited to: computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines. Last year, in 2019, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were dumped globally, and only 17.4 % of it was recycled according to a UN report. Having such a substantial amount of discarded e-waste is alarming because most electronics contain toxic materials which include beryllium, cadmium, mercury, and lead. These toxic materials pose a serious environmental risk to our soil, food, water, and air and have been known to poison humans and wildlife especially if the toxins are in high concentration. The bittersweet reality of e-waste is that there are a number of direct solutions to combat the detrimental effects of discarding it, however e-waste is not given its due consideration because little is known and understood about it.
The aim of this article is to raise awareness for e-waste by providing a detailed explanation as to what e-waste is, why it deserves attention and the response to the issues of e-waste by nations, organizations, and the youth population.
What happens when you throw away your e-waste?
If you want to understand and do something about e-waste, you need to understand how you may be contributing to it. Below is a diagram of what happens to electronic devices when they are discarded in a landfill as opposed to being recycled or repurposed.
As Fig.1 demonstrates, a used MacBook is thrown away and piles up in a landfill. The e-waste is then incinerated which causes a heavy release of metal toxins in the air, soil and water. These toxins are then absorbed by plants, animals, and humans, causing detrimental effects to each of them.
Fortunately for us, there is a simple solution to the crises posed by e-waste and one that is constantly reiterated: Recycling.
It is imperative that we get e-waste recycling rates (which are still stubbornly low) to increase. If we do not act now and take a pre-emptive stance to resolve the disposal of e-waste, it will be too late and the damage to the environment will be insurmountable.
Recycling e-waste includes measures such as recovering the parts within devices which may still have value and providing manufacturers with these recycled metals that can be used to make new products.
The most obvious impact of recycling e-waste is the keeping of harmful devices out of landfills, preventing the leaching of toxic materials and hence, protecting human and environmental health.
Below is a diagram explaining the process of recycling e-waste.
The growth of production of electronic devices is growing at an incredible rate, particularly in households and businesses. To curb the negative effects of this growth of production and its resultant wastage, effective legislation targeting sustainable e-waste management is being adopted by some nations such as the UK. The UK has implemented the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electrical and Electronic equipment directives. To facilitate the implementation if these directives, the UK has designed a specified facility responsible for recycling e-waste in all its forms (laptops, coffee machines etc.). This facility not only diverts e-waste from landfills–preventing it from becoming hazardous–but also processes several hundred tonnes of electronic waste each year.
Like the UK, there are many organizations and initiatives being taken to manage and effectively deal with the issues of e-waste.
Such organizations include –
Reuse Orbis – A youth led social organization which tackles the problem of electronic waste and its mismanagement by increasing awareness on the issue and initiating collection drives to ensure its appropriate recycling. This organization has led operations in India (Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Nagaland, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra), the USA (Texas, Washington, California), China (Shenzhen and Guangzhou), Canada, the UK, Australia and France and has a network of partners consisting of governments, companies, education consultancy firms, recyclers, schools, student societies, universities, media companies, banks and more .
Reuse Orbis acts as a middleman between consumers of technologies and government-licensed recyclers. Students collect unused and discarded electronics (e-waste) from consumers and deliver them to recyclers who separate and extract metals, which are then melted down instead of incinerated to release harmful gases.
What makes Reuse Orbis particularly innovative is the fact that its functioning is fundamentally imparted on passionate students, who are given the flexibility to schedule and design their own projects with regards to raising awareness and tackling e-waste management. For instance, students host awareness and collection drives in company offices to explain to employees the risks presented by e-waste.
Panasonic – has donated various recycling bins to schools and RWAs to encourage young and old alike to join the e-waste collection drive with a commitment to safe disposal of electronic waste.
Apple – has come up with a highly innovative way of tackling e-waste disposal, via Daisy – the recycling robot. Daisy disassembles and recycles used iPhones returned to Best Buy stores throughout the US and KPN retailers in the Netherlands. Each Daisy can disassemble 1.2 million devices per year. Daisy recovers important materials for re-use which are then recycled back into the manufacturing process.
Customers can also turn in their eligible devices to be recycled at any Apple Store or through apple.com as part of the Apple Trade In programme. Apple has received nearly 1 million devices through these Apple programmes.
To further its research on recycling, Apple also announced the opening of its Material Recovery Lab–dedicated to discovering future recycling processes. The new 9,000-square-foot facility in Austin, Texas, will look for innovative solutions involving robotics and machine learning to improve on traditional methods like targeted disassembly, sorting, and shredding. The lab will work with Apple engineering teams as well as academia to address and propose solutions to today’s industry recycling challenges.
International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) – provides technical and advisory support to national and local governments to enhance their use of environmentally sound strategies and approaches. IETC has initiated an activity to develop an action-oriented policy for e-waste management in Sri Lanka and will support the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen the e-waste management in the country by developing an action-oriented policy on e-waste management. The policy will cover issues including institutional aspects, sustainable financing mechanisms, infrastructure, health and environment, gender, and stakeholders.
The IETC will also be holding an “E-waste Academy” in Sri Lanka to provide knowledge and facilitate discussion regarding e-waste management.
The actions carried out by these organizations and initiatives are vital for the sustainable progression of e-waste management. However, the current statistics on e-waste provided earlier on in this article indicate that measures of e-waste management including raising awareness of the related issues, needs to take place on a global scale and at a more rapid rate if we are to effectively minimize or completely annihilate the issues of hazardous e-waste disposal.
Global consumption of electronics is increasing because every year we create more e-waste. The growing waste results from streams in the industrialized world, growing demand and sales for electronic products and the absence of a mentality to reuse instead of creating. If we proceed with a ‘business as usual’ attitude, the amount of e-waste will be more than doubled by 2050 and along with it, there will be dire consequences to the environment and human-kind. To avoid such a result, we need to make significant and sustainable changes to the production, use and disposal of e-waste material as soon as we can. We also need to promote and involve ourselves with the many solutions and initiatives that currently exist with regards to e-waste management.
Nice post. I learn one thing tougher on completely different blogs everyday. It can at all times be stimulating to learn content material from other writers and apply slightly something from their store. I?d choose to use some with the content material on my weblog whether you don?t mind. Natually I?ll provide you with a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.
Hi there just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.
Generally I do not read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, very nice post.
I like this site very much, Its a very nice position to read and get info .
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
buy methylprednisolone 8mg online – buy montelukast no prescription order azelastine sale
Excellent blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused .. Any tips? Thanks a lot!
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favorâ€.I’m trying to find things to enhance my web site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..extra wait .. …
I think that is one of the most important info for me. And i am happy studying your article. However want to remark on few basic things, The site style is perfect, the articles is really nice : D. Good process, cheers
It is really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for discussing your ideas. I’d also like to convey that video games have been ever evolving. Modern tools and innovative developments have aided create practical and enjoyable games. These kind of entertainment games were not as sensible when the concept was being tried. Just like other forms of technology, video games too have had to progress by many years. This itself is testimony on the fast continuing development of video games.
buy generic clarinex over the counter – generic clarinex 5mg order ventolin 4mg pill
This design is steller! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
Thanks for discussing your ideas right here. The other factor is that each time a problem develops with a computer system motherboard, people should not go ahead and take risk involving repairing this themselves for if it is not done properly it can lead to permanent damage to the whole laptop. It is almost always safe just to approach your dealer of your laptop for the repair of that motherboard. They’ve got technicians who definitely have an skills in dealing with pc motherboard complications and can have the right diagnosis and execute repairs.
I have been reading out some of your stories and i can claim nice stuff. I will surely bookmark your site.
Hi my friend! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include approximately all significant infos. I’d like to see more posts like this.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
Great work! This is the type of info that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)
Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Opera, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, excellent blog!
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually bought me breakfast because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this subject here on your web page.
I haven’t checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this website. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very difficult to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and appearance. I must say that you’ve done a awesome job with this. In addition, the blog loads very quick for me on Chrome. Excellent Blog!
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just couldn’t come across. What a perfect web-site.
Hiya! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the great information you may have here on this post. I will be coming again to your weblog for more soon.
I haven?t checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Saved as a favorite, I really like your site.
Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Finding the time and actual effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.
Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa? My website goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!
micronase 2.5mg drug – buy micronase pills order forxiga 10 mg online cheap
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..extra wait .. ?
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better! Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I’ll forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a great read. I appreciate you for sharing!
Great post! We are linking to this great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be exciting to read through content from other authors and use something from other websites.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now! Website: https://kubet881.com/
What Is Exactly ZenCortex? ZenCortex is an optimal hearing function support
Fitspresso stands out among the crowded health supplement market as an exceptional product.
I found your blog site on google and verify just a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just extra up your RSS feed to my MSN Information Reader. Looking for ahead to reading more from you in a while!?
Thank you for sharing indeed great looking !
metformin 500mg brand – buy precose generic order acarbose 50mg pills
This web page does not display properly on my iphone4 – you may want to try and fix that
you are in point of fact a excellent webmaster. The site loading pace is incredible. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterwork. you’ve done a fantastic job in this matter!
prandin 2mg sale – order jardiance generic jardiance cost
Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our site. Keep up the great writing.
En iyi medyum olarak bir danışman için medyum haluk hocayı seçin en iyi medyum hocalardan bir tanesidir.
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something concerning this.
I don?t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
One more thing. In my opinion that there are lots of travel insurance sites of reputable companies that let you enter a trip details and find you the estimates. You can also purchase the international travel cover policy on-line by using your credit card. All you need to do is always to enter your current travel specifics and you can view the plans side-by-side. Only find the plan that suits your allowance and needs and after that use your credit card to buy that. Travel insurance on the internet is a good way to take a look for a trustworthy company to get international travel cover. Thanks for expressing your ideas.
I cherished up to you’ll obtain performed right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. however, you command get bought an shakiness over that you would like be handing over the following. sick no doubt come more formerly again as exactly the similar just about a lot continuously inside of case you defend this increase.
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t disappoint me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I really believed you’d have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you can fix if you weren’t too busy seeking attention.
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something relating to this.
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I found this during my search for something relating to this.
Thank you for the good writeup. It if truth be told was once a leisure account it. Glance complicated to far introduced agreeable from you! However, how could we be in contact?
Would you be excited by exchanging links?
You are so cool! I do not believe I’ve read through a single thing like this before. So wonderful to discover someone with some original thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is one thing that is required on the web, someone with some originality.
terbinafine pill – fulvicin ca purchase grifulvin v
buy rybelsus 14 mg online cheap – oral rybelsus 14mg DDAVP over the counter
Thanks for your publication on the travel industry. I might also like to include that if you are a senior taking into consideration traveling, it can be absolutely crucial to buy travel insurance for elderly people. When traveling, retirees are at biggest risk being in need of a health-related emergency. Having the right insurance cover package to your age group can look after your health and provide you with peace of mind.
Good post. I will be experiencing some of these issues as well..
I and my pals have already been taking note of the nice ideas found on your site while at once came up with a terrible suspicion I never thanked you for those tips. These guys happened to be for that reason passionate to read through them and already have pretty much been having fun with those things. Thanks for genuinely indeed accommodating and also for choosing this form of fantastic topics millions of individuals are really desperate to discover. My honest regret for not expressing gratitude to you earlier.
Good web site you have here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Hi my friend! I wish to say that this post is amazing, nice written and include almost all vital infos. I’d like to see more posts like this.
Hey There. I found your weblog the usage of msn. That is an extremely well written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and return to learn extra of your useful information. Thank you for the post. I will definitely comeback.
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after browsing through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m certainly happy I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back frequently.
Really enjoyed this article, is there any way I can receive an alert email every time there is a fresh post?
Just desire to say your article is as amazing. The clearness in your post is just great and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work.
I do not even know the way I stopped up right here, however I thought this publish was good. I do not recognize who you’re but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
Hello! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and amazing design.
Hi, I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will come back yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept talking about this. I’ll forward this post to him. Fairly certain he’ll have a very good read. Many thanks for sharing!
This is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article.
Your writing always leaves me feeling inspired. Looking forward to your next post!
I never thought about [topic] in that way before. Thanks for sharing your perspective
ketoconazole 200 mg canada – cost lotrisone itraconazole pills
I have really noticed that credit repair activity must be conducted with techniques. If not, chances are you’ll find yourself damaging your rating. In order to succeed in fixing your credit history you have to always make sure that from this moment you pay all of your monthly fees promptly prior to their appointed date. It really is significant since by definitely not accomplishing so, all other methods that you will decide to use to improve your credit standing will not be effective. Thanks for discussing your tips.
Hi there, You’ve done an incredible job. I?ll certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
Hey! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects? Thanks for your time!
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good success. If you know of any please share. Thank you!
Wonderful work! This is the kind of information that should be shared across the web. Disgrace on the seek engines for now not positioning this submit upper! Come on over and consult with my website . Thanks =)
Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too magnificent. I actually like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it sensible. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is really a tremendous site.
Hello there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any points or suggestions? Thanks
What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively useful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & aid other users like its aided me. Good job.
I’m usually to blogging and i actually admire your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your site and maintain checking for new information.
Hi would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a reasonable price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!
A powerful share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit of analysis on this. And he in truth bought me breakfast as a result of I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I really feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If potential, as you turn out to be expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra particulars? It’s highly useful for me. Massive thumb up for this weblog post!