The Need Of The Hour Is Recycling The Electronic Waste
People are buying electronic goods like never before be it phones, laptop, LED TV. They are buying as if there is no tomorrow. This has resulted in an enormous amount of e-waste which is adding to it every day. There is a concept called green computing, which is the right step taken in the correct direction. But this is just the tip of the iceberg; the problem is becoming grave with every passing day.
Recycling e-waste in a safe way is gaining a lot of attention from the government and policymakers. Industries and the end user have become more and more aware of this issue and they are trying alternative options to disposing of the e-waste. There is some set of users who are still not aware of safely disposing of these items such as laptops, phones and TV, and other electronic devices. A big percentage of electronics are being stored in the house itself as there are very limited resources available for the recycling of these items.
Here we will throw light on some issues or concerns, tell what is e-waste, why to recycle it, how can consumers do that, issue of international shipment of hazardous e-waste.
What is an E-Waste?
All the electronic devices such as old dated computers, music styles, old TV sets, phones and etc. Similar kinds of devices which cannot be recycled but are occupying the land. Only 20% of the e-waste has been recycled and the other 80% is waiting to be recycled. In some parts of the world, e-waste is pulled by hands and burned down by some rag pickers or poor people. In the USA the e-waste is transported offshore.
Why should E-waste be recycled?
Here we would discuss in brief why it is important to recycle e-waste
Rich Source of the Raw material
An only small percentage of gold e-waste is manually removed from the e-waste remaining all is lost. Electronic waste is a rich source of precious metals and is a rich source of ore than the ores that are the minded put of the earth.
Solid Waste Management
Due to high growth in the electronic market, a short life cycle also has no means to recycle this solid waste. This issue has escalated many folds
Toxic material
Due to old electronic devices that contain toxic material like lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium so there is an urgent need to ensure that these materials do not get released into the environment. There are other heavy materials that are very toxic.
Shipping movement of the Hazardous Waste
There is no control over the transportation of e-waste to countries where the labor is very cheap. Here very old methods of recycling are being used due to which the health of these labors is bein affected. Local people are being exposed to the toxins released which is a big issue and needs to be looked into.
Can end-users help in recycling the old devices?
End-users can give a helping hand in recycling e-waste. They can donate their old computers after some bit of upgrading instead of putting them in scrap. They use the retailer take-back program which is offered by Staples, Office Depot, and Best Buy. Also, share that material with some creative person who can turn them into decorative items or items that can be used to house a pen stand. Bin to keep children toys etc. The options are unlimited just need to explore them.
Making law regarding E-Waste
In the USA in almost 26 states have passed laws regarding the mandate to recycle e-waste. In this case, the manufacturer has to take responsibility to give funds to recycle them. There is no federal law on e-waste recycling.
Conclusion:
If we love our mother nature then we need to act seriously on this as this would have a long-term effect on nature. All the countries should unite on this issue and try to find a better alternative for it. As our demand for electronic goods is not going down in the near future. Something out of the box has to be thought over this as we can see mother nature bleed day-by-day. Making roads out of dumped plastic or something like this might solve the world problem. Let us hope for some good options to come up in the near future.