E-waste Challenges

In addition to the positive impact of the fast-paced technological innovation and development

, it has negatively affected our ecological system by leaving us beneath the mountains of electronic waste. Electronic waste, popularly known as E-waste, is consistently escalating due to the increasing demand and flow of technology in developed as well as developing countries. Users also have contributed by frequently upgrading or replacing their computers and other electronic devices than ever.

Every year, obsolete components are discarded in unsafe and unsustainable manner. The absence of effective management system for discarded electronic equipments has resulted into several environmental and health issues. Electronic waste contains dozens of hazardous chemicals and substances that have crippling consequences on human health. Substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury end up in landfill and water resources. The problematic level of emission from landfill toxins contaminates soil, air, and underground water. It eventually comes back to human body through water and food and interrupts normal functionality of different organs of human body. It even affects wild life and forests. Most of the researchers agree to the fact that pollution and extinction of hundreds of creatures are correlated.

The National Safety Council (NSC) reveals that approximately 100 million computers and monitors are discarded annually. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says that about 10 million monitors and 15 million computers showed up in landfills in previous year. Many developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Brazil, and Mexico are facing serious environmental as well as health issues due to the growing amount of electronic waste. Consequences are far reaching and e-waste management is now an emerging global concern. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development urged countries to begin developing effective and sustainable e-waste recycling system to save the global environment and human health.

Recycling should be seen as an environmentally sound operation and is far better option than dumping e-waste insensitively. If recycling of obsolete products is not given the utmost priority over other areas, any progressive approach will only provide default content to the solution for fastest growing e-waste stream in future.

Certainly, it's a global issue and over the years every country has learnt different lessons in implementing e-waste policies and programs must be applied anywhere (electronics) recycling is taking place. Countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and Australia have successfully dealt with electronic recycling. They have highly efficient recyclers who know their job well and are doing it abiding by every international standard. On the contrary, there are hundreds of unscrupulous fake recyclers whose sole purpose is to make money; they hardly care for people's life. The government agencies should be more watchful and law enforcement agencies should be ready to punish the culprits. Common people should be aware of such agencies and give up their electronic devices to reputed recyclers only.

E-waste Challenges

By: Moli Sk

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