E - Waste

When is E-waste generated?

E-Waste is generated when an electronic or an electrical equipment become unfit for their originally intended use or have crossed the expiry date. Many things come under e-waste such as computers, servers, mainframes, monitors, printers, scanners, calculators, fax machines, battery cells, cellular phones, transceivers, TVs, iPods, medical apparatus, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners these all are examples of e-waste(when not of any use). The presence of toxic substances such as liquid crystal, lithium, mercury, nickel, etc. are very hazardous and can pose a huge risk to humans, animals, and the environment.

Why management of e-waste is important?

• Computers and television screens contain leaded glasses, which is a poisonous heavy metal.

• Batteries carry explosive and cancer- causing elements such as cadmium, lithium and lead.

• When mercury isn’t properly disposed, it may create serious health issues such as respiratory and skin disorders.

• The more e-waste and metals at the landfill, the more of these trace toxic materials show up in the groundwater.

• Having an environmentally-friendly source of recycled metal is better for the environment than a company digging up new sources of ore. Every time you recycle your electronics, you are preventing your E-waste from leaching toxic metals into your groundwater. But you’re also preventing it from happing at a mine somewhere else.

What are the ways in which e-waste can be reduced?

• Sell or donate old electronics: One of the easiest methods of reducing the electronic waste is to sell or donate your electronic gadgets to those in need. Selling can get you easy money and donating them to a needy not only gives the gadget a new life but also makes you feel good about yourself.

• Recycle and dispose of e-waste properly: Improper disposal of e-waste can be hazardous. There are many companies which have started giving options to recycle old electronics which might even get financial compensation for recycling your old devices.

• Maintain your electronics: By maintaining your electronics, you save money on having to buy new gadgets when your old ones break down. You are also keeping electronics out of landfills by increasing the total lifespan of your electronic devices.

• Buy Energy Star Rated Electronics: Investing in environmental friendly electronics have interdependent benefits. A high Energy Star rated device consumes less energy, reducing your electricity bill significantly. In addition, because less energy is required, it keeps a check on resource (energy) depletion by avoiding over-utilization. It indirectly saves the environment by reducing the load on resources’ (energy) extraction and depletion.

• Learn to repair broken electronics at home: By learning to repair your electronics at home, you will gain more detailed knowledge and understanding of the hardware of your device. You’ll also learn useful repair skills, and avoid having to travel to a professional repair shop and pay expensive fees for other people to fix your device. Best of all, you will be able to continue using your device for longer and won’t have to throw it away.

• Rent electronic equipment instead of buying: If you are planning to use a specific piece of electronic equipment for a limited period of time, it would be a better idea to rent it instead of buying it.

• Store data online: Cloud services are much better than you would think in reducing your environmental impact. By storing data online, you get to access your data from anywhere around the world, without the need to carry a storage device at all times. Cloud storage also gives you a large amount of storage, for free or for very cheap. This not only offers convenience to you, but reduces the need for manufacturing of new storage devices. This indirectly reduces your carbon footprint and curbs the amount of generated e-waste.