E-waste or electronic waste is a terminology used for inoperable electronic equipment. The unuseful electronics or the ones approaching the end of their useful life are given to a recycler.
E-waste sometimes ends up being landfilled or disposed of in an unprotected dump site somewhere across the world. That’s why it is vital you dispose of e-waste correctly.
E-waste can be a valuable resource to humanity as a lot of it can be recycled, refurbished, or reused. It will minimise the amount of actual waste disposed of inappropriately and become a threat to the global environment.
An uncertain quantity of e-waste is exported to developing countries from developed countries. The developing countries are unable to refuse the import due to economic reasons. It raises concerns regarding the unsafe handling of e-waste, resulting in severe public health and contaminated environment issues.
Inappropriate methods for destroying e-waste or recovering valuable material from them, such as open-air burning and acid baths, can cause severe damage to human health. Exposure to harmful chemicals such as Cadmium, Arsenic, mercury, and lead causes irreversible damage to the environment.
How can we overcome the problem of e-waste?
Rather than imposing the issue of e-waste on Governments and multi-governmental organisations, collecting effort is required to overcome it. The measures that every consumer can take to contribute to resolving the issue of e-waste are as follows:
Educate themselves
One of the business strategies of electronics manufacturers is to deliberately make products with a shorter lifespan to generate more sales revenue. Once the product is broken or is unuseful, the consumers have to buy a new product that interns increase sales for the electronics industry.
We must do thorough research on the electronics we buy, especially the chemicals used in the manufacturing process. It will help us determine the lifespan and the harmfulness of the chemicals used in the manufacturing process. We should avoid buying electronic items with a shorter lifespan and harmful chemicals.
If parts of an electronic item are still working, as a responsible consumer, you should reuse it instead of replacing it with a new one.
Limit the number of electronics you own
It is hard to imagine human lives without electronics. Whether in our personal or professional life, electronics have become an indispensable part of our life. It is impractical to imagine a world without electronics.
However, we can limit the number of electronics we own. Avoid buying a product if you don’t need it. Look for multifunctional gadgets. For example, if you own a smartphone, you might not need a sat nav.
How to safely dispose of your electronic waste?
The way to dispose of your electronic waste is to give it to a certified E-waste recycler. You can trust any E-waste recycler certified by the environment agency. Which is a non-profit government organisation dedicated to E-waste disposal in a safe and environmentally friendly way.
Another way of safely disposing of your electronic waste is to give it back to its manufacturer. Several electronic companies now have exchange policies providing a discount on their latest products in exchange for an outdated product.