Overview
E-Waste is considered as one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. Rapid technology changes, falling prices and planned obsolescence are some of the reasons why there is a growing surplus of electronic waste. Most of the population gets new electronic devices every 12 to 18 months. Different electronic components have different range of useful lives. Devices become out-dated and some devices get damaged beyond repair. If not properly disposed, this e-waste ends up in landfills. This is harmful to the environment for many reasons.
- E-waste negatively impacts soil: as e-waste that is not properly disposed, breaks down and released toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium. When these toxins leach into the soil, they influence plants and trees that are crowding from the soil. These toxins can impact food crops too and lead to birth defects and other health hazards.
- E-waste negatively impacts water: toxins from improperly disposed e-waste leads to pollution of the underground water too. Toxins like lead, barium, mercury and lithium are considered carcinogenic too.
- E-waste negatively impacts air: the e-waste that ends up in the landfills is usually burnt and this releases hydrocarbons in the atmosphere that in turn contribute to air pollution.
E-waste has become a very serious concern for our society and our environment as a whole. Since consumers will keep buying new devices, it’s important to spread awareness of this growing problem and its damaging aftermath.
Reinforcing a sustainable e-waste management process:
The growing stream of e-waste will only worsen if the correct measures of disposal are not implemented. Rather than ending up in landfills, these electronic devices can be recycled, refurbished, resold or reused. There needs to be processes that are sustainable and provide a long-term solution for processing e-waste. But, e-waste disposal is challenging. There are a number of factors that need to be taken into account. Some electronics are simply obsolete because there’s a new one in the market, some electronic devices have damaged components that render them unusable – but can be repaired, and yet, some electronic devices are damaged beyond repair and need to be disposed as scrap. But, each of these types of electronic wastes can be re-used, repaired or recycled and refurbished in some way or the other. There are a number of E-waste Registered Recyclers in India that work towards effective disposal of electronic components. With proper disposal of e-waste, we can effectively save the environment from being corrupted.
How is e-waste appropriately managed?
The e-waste management process prioritizes environmental protection. It prioritizes proper handling, processing and managing hazardous substances that are present in the e-waste. The entire process is systematically handled:
Collection: e-waste is collected before it ends up in landfills. This is done via e-waste management organisations that systematically collect waste electronics. The ultimate aim is to segregate the reusable and recyclable components and the scrap that needs to be properly disposed. E Waste collection Ahmedabad is handled by some of the E-waste Registered Recyclers.
Dismantling: This is one of the crucial steps in e-waste management. Each appliance is opened, the housing is separated, and usable and hazardous materials are segregated and carefully categorized such that minimum number of hazardous materials are emitted into the environment.
Data Sanitization: Many devices that aren’t working, may still have sensitive data that may be lost if it is not recovered before disposal. Proper disposal of electronic devices also means taking into consideration all the measures that need to be taken to protect the data on them.
Recycling: recycling components increases their usable life. Out of the 50 million tons of electronic waste, only 20% is recycled. Extracting the usable components and reusing them by recycling them makes the electronic devices usable for a longer time.
Refurbishing: Working components from otherwise unusable electronics are extracted and are reused to give electronics a longer life. Quality components are used in refurbishing and e-waste is effectively reduced.
There are a number of means for e-Waste Disposal in Gujarat. The e-waste disposal organisations collect and efficiently dispose off the e-waste.
How is e-waste collected and valued?
e-waste is collected via collection centres. These centres accept electronic waste irrespective of the condition that device. Devices are collected from either end users or organizations. The collection centers analyze the device and valuation is done. The amount is paid to the owners or the organizations that need to dispose off the devices. The types of devices collected are mobile phones, laptops, computers or electrical appliances such as mixers, etc.
When environmental concerns demand sustainable eco-friendly solutions, it is imperative that electronic wastes need to be properly disposed after hazardous components are safely discarded. Further, e-waste is a rich source of raw materials which if successfully recovered are valuable for use in recycled electronic products. These devices also contain a number of working components that are used for refurbishing. This ability to obtain and recycle materials from e-waste helps limit the need to mine them from the earth – hence conserving natural resources. Recycling and reusing electronic components also keep the risky substances out of landfills and incinerators. It is hence essential that the electronic waste is disposed off with a systematic disposal process with least harm to the environment – to ultimately restore our earth and make it cleaner and greener for generations to come.
ECS is one of the leading companies for e-Waste management and recycler in Gujarat. We collect, recycle, refurbish and reuse electronic waste to help save the environment. To request the pickup of e-waste for your organisation you can simply drop us an email at ewaste@ecscorporation.com or contact us on +91 89800 04000.
