E-waste: How e-waste affect the environment?

Electronic Waste: 

              Today, whether a household has a tree or not, a person has one or two cell phones. Despite the development of information technology in India over the past 20 years and the high employment opportunities for the youth as a part of it, the amount of electronic waste emitted from software companies and manufacturing companies has increased. Therefore, we may not emit as much electronic waste as we can. A cell phone, a computer, which we do not need, may be an essential need for the next person. So we can help those in need who do not use electronic goods.

The electronic waste, electronic scrap or electronic waste includes all types of electrical and electronic equipment or their components because they end their useful life.

The electronic junk, electronic scrap or electronic waste includes all types of electrical and electronic equipment or their components because they have ended their useful life. This type of waste represents a growing problem in today's technological world.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that 50 million electrical devices are converted into electronic waste worldwide each year. Of this amount, 32% is produced by the United States and China, which are the largest economies.

e-waste

How we dispose the e-wastes?

         Otherwise, the e-waste we dispose of reaches the small businesses that collect it. There they are classified as plastic and metal and the remaining waste is incinerated. Some types of waste will be left in the soil as it is. Toxins such as cadmium, chromium, mercury, and charcoal emitted from electronic waste pollute the soil as well as water. Toxic fumes from burning electronic waste can cause cancer, neurological problems, respiratory problems, and birth defects. 

How  the e-wastes are  generated?

                  One of the major issues internationally is electronic waste. Disposing of electronic waste that has been accumulating year after year is emerging as a huge challenge. Despite efforts to recycle and reuse this hazardous waste, the ecological problems caused by its stagnation remain a major issue. A look at it

               More electronic waste is generated from sectors including home appliances, entertainment and consumer devices, telecommunications and information technology.

               Now some companies are recalling their products. It is better to take advantage of this. Otherwise seek the help of government accredited recycling companies. They will handle electronic waste properly. Not only in India, but all over the world, the use of electronic devices is more in the home than in the business world. But more e-waste comes from companies than from homes.

              Electronic scrap is characterized by a wide variety of materials, including plastics and various metals. Among these we have home appliances (washing machines, blenders, wrought iron), lamps, lanterns and sound equipment.

Large quantities of e-waste generated from:             

                        Generally, computer and cell phone based electronic waste is discharged in large quantities. Next to it are home appliances like TV, bridge, washing machine. If these are not handled properly the quality of these products can be detrimental to the personnel and the environment. The handing over of e-waste to companies licensed and operated by the federal government will greatly reduce environmental degradation.

                        Similarly, electronic waste includes electrical equipment and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) equipment and their components and consumables.

                     There is a classification of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). This includes seven types of heat exchangers, monitors and screens and large photovoltaic panels.

How e-waste affect the environment?   

                     Electronic waste has a high negative environmental impact, mainly because it is associated with the release of heavy metals into the environment. Similarly, plastics that make up covers and other parts also indicate a source of contamination

                         Also, some appliances, such as air conditioners and refrigerators, emit environmentally harmful gases, such as greenhouse gases.

                        Heavy metals released by electronic wastes such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury can cause serious health problems for humans. Dioxins released from plastics have the same effect, especially when they are fired into terrain.

Benefits of e-waste recycling:

                      Many companies buy recyclables such as electrical appliances that we throw away and old electronics that we use to buy new ones. Even though those companies promise to buy old electronics and recycle them, they don't really do that. Most of the old electrical appliances that are bought for such recycling are sent to electronic waste bins. Now developing countries like India and Pakistan are carrying the e-waste generated by them as well as the e-waste of developed countries like the United States, Britain and China.

                      In densely populated developing countries like India, the amount of electrical waste we generate is staggering. India generates about 20 lakh tonnes of electronic waste a year. Half of it is electronic waste imported into India. And the waste we import puts an extra burden on our heads. The bitter truth is that many do not dare to dig this bad secret.

                      It is a fact that dealers reap the benefits of recycling and selling these old appliances. However, out of the 20 lakh tonnes of waste generated, only a maximum of about 5 lakh wastes are recycled. The rest reach the landfills. The toxicity of the accumulated electronic waste remains a scar on the ecology of the area. Areas where such electronic waste is located carry the largest number of cancer patients in the world.

                This problem did not start today or yesterday. It also started when the use of electronic devices began. This will increase drastically in the coming days. Human society has forgotten the wisdom and speed with which it has shown over the past two centuries in dealing with the waste generated by the goods produced. Our civilized social development is accustomed to the way of life, 'Produce, use, trash, sniff'. This is a serious problem today. Today the whole world is talking about the pandemic of covid-19. But electronic waste has long been detrimental to the health of children in our country. Electronic waste has long been linked to heart disease, congenital genetic defects, and diseases such as cancer at an early age.

What are the common types of e-waste?                  

                   Computers, televisions, cell phones, and refrigerators are among the most common types of electrical waste. Electrical waste contains many carcinogenic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, plastic, barium, beryllium and carcinogens that can cause cancer. All of these contaminate the soil and groundwater of the land. For example, printed circuit boards contain metals such as antimony, gold, silver, chromium, zinc, lead, silver, and copper. Separating these metals separately from circuit boards is not an easy task. For that you need to heat the circuit boards. It will emit toxic gases. Their waste will contaminate the land when mixed into the ground. This is done by workers handling electrical waste in the cutting area.Those who handle it will sow the seeds of deadly diseases in the body.

               An alternative to minimizing electronic waste is recycling and recycling, which can reactivate electronic devices or remove reusable parts. Also, these equipments can be recycled to get metals and plastics as raw materials.

                Extracts from their natural sources are expensive or contain metals that have major environmental impacts, such as gold or iron. They can also recover rare components such as the so-called "rare earth" used in the production of mobiles.

               Recycling methods depend on the type of electronic device and what you want to recover. This can be as long as disassembly and cutting by hand or with special robots, subjecting to cryogenesis with liquid nitrogen and triggering tools.

                 Properly covered, it will withstand a great deal of adverse conditions. The handing over of electronic waste to companies licensed by the federal government will greatly reduce environmental degradation. Small dealers who collect spare parts have no equipment to handle them. For example, when the glass of an unused TV box is broken, the gas inside escapes. It will affect the staff there and that environment. But large companies will have separate construction for this. These will be broken down in the low pressure chamber without the help of staff. This will reduce environmental pollution and keep employees safe.

Which country is the largest producer of the e-waste?                      

                       India is the second largest producer of electronic waste in the world after the United States, China and Japan. In this case, domestic e-waste production must be curtailed, with the same hand controlling waste imported from the United States and China. First of all, it is necessary to take into account the waste generated locally.