I bought a new phone after getting done with my old contract. I now do not even bother where I left my old phone. Then came a new laptop. Then again a new something else which replaced my old something else. I had (and will have) a bunch of e-things replacing my old e-ones. But very recently I sat back and was thinking about the amount of e-waste I alone was generating. I know I am not the only one!!!! Mobile Devices, laptops, ipods, ipads, gaming devices ..... the list is unending......
What is the most natural solution to this e-waste? Well, lets sell it to someone who is willing to buy it even after getting to know that it has its share of disadvantages attached to it for being a used one. Then what? Ultimately the device is going to be dead eventually. That is when the actual problem surfaces. That is when the device is an "e-waste". The concern is most of these e-devices have a lot of toxic materials embedded into them which release harmful wastes/pollutants into the environment when handled irresponsibly. In most parts of the world, the current ultimate solution to handling the e-waste is to burn them!!! How unsafe can that get!
Tons and tons of these "to be e-waste devices" are ending up in the developing parts of the world which are lured by the low priced used devices. However, the disasters that the disposal (burning) of these devices is not just an environment disaster to these nations but to the world in general. A better solution to this problem would be to recycle this e-waste and make a new e device out of it.
We, as responsible earth citizens need to think of solutions to the e-waste problem in two different directions.
- Now that we have already accumulated a lot of e-waste, we need to pay immediate attention to supporting the growth of (r)e-cycling industry with proper safety guidelines in place.
- The future products need to use bio-compatible materials during their manufacturing process so that they are bio-degradable.
Interestingly, I learned that there are a couple of products that e-cycling has led to which included jewelry from the metal waste that the e-devices produce!! Isn't that super cool!!!! It definitely is a creative thought. There will be several other low end e-devices that are by products of the e-cycling process in future. Recycling e-waste is one of the modern day fastest growing industries.
With all this in mind, it is our collective responsibility as Engineers to think of creative and productive ways to deal with e-waste. There are several burgeoning small scale industries thriving on this motto almost in every town around the world. So the next time you have an e-device that is close to being obsolete locate a e-waste collection center closest to you to deposit your stuff there (I will also :) ).
Very thoughtful, Hema! :-D
ReplyDeleteI didn't come to disposing of my e-items yet but this is good information. I looked up online and found this site that locates your nearest Recycle Electronics centers: www.greenergadgets.org
It also has an energy calculator to see how much energy our e-items consume.
It's fascinating how unaware most of us are about these things (including me, until I read this article!). Considering the present 'e-usage' situation, I think e-recycling should be taught in schools.
A well-written, interesting read, Hema! :-)
Thank you for the nice site :). Thats really helpful. Thank you for the nice words too. I didn't know about either this until very recently. U r definitely right in saying that it needs to be taught in schools to create awareness given that todays kids play with gadgets more often than with toys !!
ReplyDeleteNice one Hema!!!
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in Infosys Mysore, as part of environment week, Nokia has set up a stall where they collected all Nokia devices (mobile phones, chargers, batteries or headsets) which were not working. They told us they would recycle them. I didnt give it much thought at that time but now I understood its significance :-) .