E-wastes

Introduction− What are E-wastes?

Nowadays, almost everyone has at least one electronic item at home that is either unused or out of order. These parts of electronic items constitute e−wastes. Cords and plugs of electronic items are included as e−wastes. Common sources of e−wastes are televisions, computers, mobile phones, and any type of home appliance items, such as air conditioners and children’s toys. As toxic materials from electronics mix with water and soil, they may pollute the environment too. In this article, we discuss what is e−waste, how they are produced, how they are dumped in landfills, how it can be recycled and what are other ways to reuse e-waste for extracting precious metals.

Image 1: Various e−waste items

Why E−waste is a problem?

Electronic items are not the problem, but when they are thrown away in landfills, it poses a problem. Electronics contain toxic substances like mercury or lead that may mix with soil and water and pollute them.

Moreover, electronic items contain valuable non−renewable resources and precious metals, such as gold, aluminum, copper, silver, cobalt, and platinum which are thrown away when we dispose of the electronics without recycling them.

Export of E−waste

Although recycling is a better option to export unused electronic items to countries like China, Africa, or India where laws regarding e−waste are lenient, the developed nations only do the latter. There are ethical considerations regarding exporting large lots of e−wastes to developing or poor nations, but they are often ignored. In India, e−wastes are dumped in landfills in such large amounts, it takes an entire village including children to sort the components and provide them to electronics manufacturers for making a living.

Many voices are now raised about the design of electronic items so that they don’t have to be sent to landfills when they are out of order. There are various types of recycling options for economically designed electronics but the process has not gathered momentum yet.

Recycling Electronics Items

If you are still not sure about what to do with your old electronic item, here are four ideas that may add a whole new dimension to the recycling process.

Postpone an upgradation for as long as possible

Before you look for a new electronic item, check if it can be used for some more time. For example, if you are looking to upgrade your mobile to the latest version, check if your one is still working fine. If there is no interruption in communication and other activities, you should postpone upgrading to the new version.

Look for opportunities to reuse

If you are no longer using an electronic item, check if your friends or family can reuse it. Giving the item to someone when it has some lifetime left is a very good idea. If there is no one in your family or friends, there are many charities who may buy the item at a good value. Reusing the item instead of just throwing it off is a very good idea because it saves the environment apart from paying you a good value for something you won’t use anymore.

Returning the item to the manufacturer

If your item has broken or turned unusable, you should try returning it to the manufacturer. You should ask the manufacturer if they have the policy to take the broken items back. Many manufacturers won’t have such a policy but some may have it. Moreover, if large numbers of consumers start asking for returns, the manufacturers may start practicing the policy.

Take the item to a dedicated recycling agency

If there is no place to reuse or return the unusable or unused electronic item, look for a recycling agency that may recycle your electronic gadget. Nowadays, a lot of agencies recycle old and unused electronics so finding one near your area matt not be a problem.

The main idea here is to stop throwing the item away in landfills. You should take every care so that your item doesn’t end up in a landfill. This will not only save the environment but will also save enough costs that go into manufacturing an electronic item.

E−waste Challenge Faced by Consumers and Manufacturers

In most cases, the idea while upgrading to a new electronic item is to sell or buy a new one. Considerations such as whether the item is reusable or recyclable do not play role in the process. However, that is the sore point where all the game lies, according to analysts.

Analysts believe that consumers and manufacturers should have the challenge of preparing electronic items that can be recycled or repurposed. If costs come as a barrier, they should be overlooked. In fact, all processes that include technology come pricey at the beginning but as time lapses, it becomes cheaper.

Therefore, the real challenge is not how to sell a new electronic item but it is how to sell or produce an item that can be easily recycled. If this challenge is taken up by the manufacturers and consumers, the problem of e−waste can be handled to a large extent, saving enough costs and money in the process.

Extracting Precious Minerals from Landfills

Image 2: Estimated active mining equipment and e−waste generation (in metric kilotons) in the Bitcoin network since July 2014.

The other end of the spectrum in the process of throwing away items in landfills is also gaining momentum slowly. There are many projects that aim to extract precious metals from the heaps of untapped e−waste landfills. The process is simple but may take some time to take good shape.

For example, CROCODILE is a project that looks at cobalt recycling in the UK. The project aims to recover the substance from the e−wastes and thereby generate a secondary supply chain from there.

There are two advantages of the process:

• First is that the e−wastes are recycled and reused from which precious metals are extracted at a very low rate.

• The other advantage is that the project does not involve extraction from the raw resources so the original resources do not deplete. Such projects can really change the future of e−waste and its usage cases in industries.

The project mainly aims to cut down the dependence on natural Cobalt that is availed from Africa. So, it is a great idea in terms of accessing the minerals from a secondary source which is pretty uncommon and rich in nature. The success of the project can create further opportunities for other precious metals as well.

Conclusion

E−waste is the burning point of discussion in the current era. As the use of electronic gadgets is increasing at an exponential rate, their safe disposal is gaining importance. Therefore, learning about safer disposing techniques and saving the earth from pollution due to e−waste is important for everyone to be aware of.

FAQs

Qns 1. What is E−waste?

Ans. The parts of electronic items constitute e−wastes when thrown away. Cords and plugs of electronic items are included as e−wastes. Common sources of e−wastes are televisions, computers, mobile phones, and any type of home appliance items, such as air conditioners and children’s toys.

Qns 2. Why is e−waste a problem?

Ans. Electronic items are not the problem but when they are thrown away in landfills, it poses a problem. Electronics contain toxic substances like mercury or lead that may mix with soil and water and pollute them.

Qns 3. Where are the e−wastes from developed nations dumped?

Ans. Large amounts of e−wastes from developed nations are dumped in landfills in China, Africa, and India.