Present Scenario In The World

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction to e-waste:

"E-waste" refers to any discarded or undesirable electronic device or Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is categorized as universal e-waste. E-waste generally comprehends hazardous materials, predominantly lead and mercury, and is produced by households, businesses, governments, and industries.

Enduring revolution in technology and upgradation, changes in media trailed by humans, falling prices of the gadgets and electronics and planned obsolescence have resulted in a drastic surge of electronic waste around the world.

Display units (CRT, LCD and LED monitors), Processors (CPU chips), memory units (RAM & MMC’s), and audio components have diverse useful life in service. Processors are more likely to become "e-waste" time-to-time because they are recurrently out-dated, by software and component-wise, while display units are most often replaced without any repair attempts in general.

(Definition of e-waste, http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/e-waste).

Few facts about e-waste:

Circa 50 million tons of E-waste is formed every year all around the world. A study from a unanimous NGO working over e-waste has found that each year 30 million computers are discarded by USA alone and 100 million phones are disposed in Europe each year.

As per the Environmental Protection Agency, around 15-20% of e-waste is cast-off out of the whole lot, rest of these electronics go directly into landfills leaving future perils to the mankind.

According to a report titled by UNEP, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources," the amount of e-waste being produced could rise by as much as 500% over the next decade in some countries, such as the United States being in the top of the list, causing electronic waste, pitching away about 3 million tons each year. Next countries succeeding the list are China, India etc. About 2.3 million tons e-waste is disposed by China (as per 2010 estimate) natively, being the second to USA. Despite having a ban on e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries from many years.

(Urgent Need to Prepare Developing Countries for Surge in E-Wastes, http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=612&ArticleID=6471)

Present scenario in the world:

The question, "what to do with e-waste" is a somber million dollar issue being propagated in every nation. In the first, steps had been taken by many companies to reduce the amount of e-waste which they produce. Syndicates which were manufacturing electronics goods are beginning to take items back, as a policy, when the equipment have outlived its working efficiency and life span so that the usable metal elements like Copper, Silicon can be carefully removed and the rest of the electronics can be safely disposed in a proper technique.

Unpretentious e-waste is sent to countries like China and Ghana, the major e-waste dumping countries in the world, by the shipping. Many corporations which entitle to be "recycling" the e-waste are actually conveying the pollutants to other countries. Piles of unwanted consumer electronics and gadgets are accumulated by the stockpiles and landfills, toxins percolating into the soil and groundwater, which causes crop deficiencies, birth abnormalities and serious illnesses. A minority of environmentally responsible felt companies has begun, like Nokia for disposed mobile phones, to speak out against such practices, and is captivating action to dispose of e-waste carefully, assisted by governments, which have started demanding that e-waste processing fees convoy the sale of new consumer electronics bought by an individual. (Electronic waste in Ghana, Greenpeace video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr1zQrXM_7s)

Classification of e-waste:

Some computer and electronic modules and constituents can be reused in new computer assembly and electronics products, while others metal sediments are reduced to metals that can be reused in applications in many streams like construction, Electricals etc.

Minerals in e-waste recovery:

Elements found in enormous quantities of e-waste embrace Lead, Tin, Copper, Silicon, Carbon, Iron, Beryllium, Epoxy resins, Fiberglass, PVC (polyvinyl chlorides), Thermo-setting plastics and Aluminium.

Elements which are found in trivial levels out of e-waste comprise Cadmium, Mercury, and Thallium.

Elements that are institute in trace aggregates are Gold, Platinum, Silver, Thorium, Titanium, Lithium, Manganese, Nickel, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Bismuth, Boron, Cobalt, Gallium, Germanium, Palladium, and Vanadium etc.

Practically all electronic items which are derelict contain lead, tin and copper.

The following is the classification involved for the elements found in e-waste:

Hazardous elements:

The following are the few elements which are the major contaminants of e-waste:

Mercury: Mercury is found in Fluorescent tubes and monitors commonly. Health effects because of mercury contamination include sensory impairment, dermatitis, muscle weakness and memory loss. Environmental effects in animals include death, reduction in fertility, slower growth and development.

Lead: Lead is found in soldering of printed circuit boards and other electronic components. Lead is also found in glass panels in computer monitors (CRTs). Lead existing in landfilled products has the potential to seep and contaminate drinking water supplies. Adverse effects of Lead on human include diminished cognitive function, behavioral disturbances, attention deficits, hyperactivity and lower IQ.

Sulphur: Sulphur found in Lead acid batteries, in the form of sulphuric acid, can be a major peril through various resources. Health effects which may root due to Sulphur include liver damage, kidney problems, heart related issues, eye and throat irritation. When released into the environment, it can create Sulphuric acid and Oxides, which are a intimidation to environment.

Cadmium: Cadmium found in light-sensitive resistors, LED’s, corrosion-resistant alloys for marine and aviation purposes and Nickel-Cadmium batteries.

Generally, the most common usage of cadmium is found in Nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries. These batteries be likely to contain between 6 and 18% cadmium. The sale of Nickel-Cadmium batteries has been banned in the European Union except for medical use. When not correctly recycled, it can leach into the soil, harming microorganisms and disrupting the soil ecosystem and its prosperity.

The inhalation of cadmium can cause severe damage to the lungs and kidneys. Cadmium is also concomitant with human deficits in cognizance, learning and behavior skills in children.

Thorium: Thorium, yet identified in traces, when present in large lumps and piles can show radio-active effects to the surroundings leading many harms to mankind nearby.

Chromium: Chromium is a known carcinogen after occupational inhalation exposure and many other occupational health’s adverse.

Beryllium: Oxides of Beryllium is the filler in some heat sinks of CPU’s and Transistors, X-ray transparent ceramic windows and gas lasers etc.

(Hazardous Substances in e-Waste, http://ewasteguide.info/node/219)

(http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/comp-dic/lca-sum/ques8.pdf)

There is also substantiation of cytotoxic (human cell division), hemotoxic (toxics in blood) and genotoxic (Genetic toxicity) effects of some chemicals luring out of e-waste have been shown to cause cell membrane abrasion and cause DNA strand cessations. A likelihood of developing cancer to the further peers is identified if DNA strand breaks.

DNA indemnities are a superior problem in non-dividing or slowly apportioning human cells, where unrepaired damages will tend to accrue over time. On the other hand, in rapidly dividing cells, unrepaired DNA damages that do not kill the cell by hindering replication will tend to cause replication inaccuracies and thus mutation.

Non-hazardous elements:

The next are the elements which are instituted in e-waste are considered to be slightest hazardous or unhazardous.

Copper: Copper is the most conjoint element and one of the pre-dominant element used in electrical and electronic items and appliances in various ways like internal wiring, printed circuit boards, component leads etc.

Silicon: Silicon is also a foremost element used in the production of electronics. It is used for manufacture of transistors, IC’s, printed circuit boards, rectifiers, glass, etc.

Iron: Iron is also one of the pre-dominant elements castoffs in every electrical and electronic gadget and appliance. Iron is found in the practice of steel chassis, cases, and fixings etc. out of the e-waste.

Lithium: Lithium is very common element which is normally found in Lithium-ion batteries, the common batteries which are used in mobile phones and many other common appliances.

Tin: Tin is the common element found in the electronic components by solder, coatings on component leads etc.

Nickel: Nickel-cadmium batteries are the cradle of nickel sediments in the e-waste. Also Nickel is the element found in heat resistant metal surfaces.

Gold: Gold is used in micro-level in the connector plating, primarily in computer equipment. Traces of Gold are used for few shiny-coatings over the appliances and gadgets.

Germanium: Germanium is the unique element used in manufacturing of transistors which is the vital part in almost any and every electrical and electronic gadget used.

Introduction to e-waste management:

E-waste management is fetching a major problem in many countries around the world. It is assessed that the world engenders nearby 40 million tons of e-waste annually, most of it from Asian countries like India, China etc.

Improper e-waste recycling and management can disturb the environment and human health. Yet the budding awareness on e-waste deeds such as reuse, recycling and disposal, servicing, remanufacturing and upstream reduction of e-waste cohort is gaining much attention. Movement of e-waste to different countries where there are immense dump yards for these tons of lumps is a key issue throughout the world.

Countries like China and Ghana are found the major dump yards for the e-waste from all over the world. These countries are specially known for their e-waste trading, they buy the e-waste in huge tonnage, and dump them in an improper and unsafe way which is in turn affecting population in the nearby areas allowing the contamination and pollution of land, water and air.

A very minor part, approximately 20% of the e-waste, is recycled and rest of the waste is either burnt in lumps or buried under the ground allowing the hazardous elements to contaminate the ambience.

Reuse is an alternative and the best option to recycling in the present scenario, because it extends the lifespan of a device under usage. Devices still need eventual recycling, but by allowing others to purchase used electronics and gadgets, recycling can be postponed and value gained from device use is increased.

(Illegal e-waste exposed, http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/illegal-e-waste-exposed140708/)

(Why We Should Ship Our Electronic "Waste" to China and Africa, http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/e-waste-recycling-exports-are-good)

Benefits of recycling

Recycling raw materials from expired and dumped electronics is the most operative solution to the mounting e-waste problem in the world.

Most of the electrical and electronic devices in the e-waste have a variety of materials, comprising metals which can be recuperated for future deployment like Copper, Silicon, and Lead etc.

By disassembling the components out of the e-waste and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous discarding is avoided.

Furthermore, recycling diminishes the amount of greenhouse gas emanations like Carbon-di-oxide and Ozone caused by the manufacturing of new electronic products, which can be hindered to some magnitude.

Conferring to the Basel Convention on the control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the exportation of e-waste to developing countries is banned. 92 Countries around the world have validated the Basel Convention, agreeing not to export their e-waste without the appropriate licenses in place.

Nevertheless, a Greenpeace report conditions that after "assessments of 18 European seaports in 2005, as much as 47% of waste ordained for export, including e-waste, were illegitimate." Despite of the protocols of the Basel Convention, the practise of disseminating electronic waste is unending.

(Benefits of recycling, http://www.ewastecenter.com/e-waste-facts/benefits-of-recycling/)

Conclusion:

Government ideas, in many countries, are definitely in planning a productive legislation and are yet to be put in place.

The governments enforce some much desired plans to embolden retailers, consumers and businesses to recycle their perilous e-waste, few private companies have taken the initiative to tackle e-waste with in their nations.

Like in Australia, a foremost electronic waste collection and recycling service, 1800Ewaste has been rendering its service towards the diversion of e-waste build up in landfills for a couple of years and have achieved a milestone to divert 310 tonnes of electronic waste from landfill, so far being a best assurance from any service organisation known.

(http://www.ewaste.com.au/)

Yet there need to be many such initiatives to be taken, both by the governments and the individuals in reducing the e-waste and recycling the electronic media instead of dumping it.