subject: Workforce for Waste Management and Recycling [print this page] Decelerating the technological development clearly means breaking the progress of our life. Instead of squeezing our growth or compressing single slice of opportunity, we need to define the future options for electronic waste management, create a work force to improve technologies and strategies for sustainable recycling system and raise public awareness to enhance local recycling process. Some other steps that require special attention for successful execution of the task are:
It is significant to assess the best available and emerging technologies for electronic waste management in industrialized and industrializing countries to set equilibrium between electronic production and e-waste management.
Global initiation is expected for finding out scientific e-waste solutions that would be economically, socially and environmentally friendly and feasible.
Inspection of important steps in recycling chain such as collecting e-waste, dismantling hazardous equipments, safe pre and end processing systems are key to successful implementation of work force.
Consistent monitoring of recycling process is essential for understanding its long-term impact on environment.
There are dozens of countries across the world that haven't developed policies and effective systems to deal with electronic waste. Such countries, through international organizations such as the UNO, should be directed to come up with effective policies as well as e-waste management system.
Recycling companies indulged in violating international law should be punished and their license should be rejected.
Participation of people is another and possibly the most important factor to minimize the environmental impact of e-waste. They should have the knowledge of negative consequences of e-waste. Almost every week dozens of new and stylish models are launched by electronic companies, people should not be lured by them and make decision to discard their old components insensitively.They should not only support refurbishment and recycling but also use the electric equipments until the end of their life.
People should be aware of responsible and accountable recyclers, their work process and also whether they have the best capacity and system of improving the recyclable materials in the end-of-life electronics.People can take initiative for solving the e-waste problems by putting pressure on companies to make biodegradable products for which they should be ready to pay more. Some developing countries have responded positively against this fastest growing issue and demanded mandatory commercial recycling process to reduce greenhouse emissions and corporate waste. Unfortunately, this is certainly not enough for resolving this issue; there is a lot that could be done.
