E-Waste: The Fastest Growing Source of Toxic Waste

Electronics have become very important part in our lives. It is impossible to satisfy our appetite for electronics, as it is improving our lives dramatically. During the past few years, technology has evolved in many ways better than ever before. However, by the year of 2030 everyone will consume and dispose about 150-200 kilos of electricals.

Many people are more concerned about the environment by usage of plastics. However, we could see the same people replacing their laptop or mobile every year. Currently there are about 10 billion mobile phones worldwide, which surpasses the world population of 7.8 billion people. These 10 billion phones will be old phones in the next 3-4 years, so what will happen to them? Most of them end up in landfills.

Electronic Waste: Fastest growing problem 

The electronic waste or e-waste is now the fastest growing source of toxic waste in the world. Around 50 million tons of e-waste has been generated every year and it will increase more than 200-300% in certain places in the years to come. After China and USA, India has become the third largest e-waste generator in the world. There are no strict laws nor proper collection and logistics infrastructure to regulate these wastes. Certain developed countries shipped their e-waste to other countries with fewer health and safety laws.

Why e-waste is a problem?

E-waste contains extremely toxic chemicals such as Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, etc. Further, it contains precious metals such as Gold, Silver, Platinum, Copper, Tungsten, etc. When they are thrown, leaching of toxic materials and their accumulation will affect the soil, water and food. This poses a risk to both people and the environment. 

World’s largest e-waste sites 

A town in China, called Guiyu is one of the largest and well known in global environmentalist community for its e-waste. The soil here has the some of the world’s highest concentration of heavy metals. Samples collected from Guiyu contains heavy metals which are more than 350 times higher than areas located 30 kilometers away.

In certain places, to extract the precious metals people simply burn the electronics without any protection to get the metals. Agbogbloshie, a district in Ghana, is the world’s largest e-waste site. Here the young people expose themselves to toxic gases to extract precious metals from old electronics. These causes severe damage to human blood and kidneys as well as to the central and peripheral nervous systems.

A young man burning electrical wires to recover copper at Agbogbloshie

Consumption of Resources

As the population increases, we are consuming more and more of resources. This has enormous social, economic and environmental consequences. In 1980’s the mobile phones weighed about 10 kilograms and they may be used 10 materials to make it. Hardly only few used them and had low functionality. Now, they weigh less than a hundred grams, we are using more than 60 metals and their functionality are increasing in pace.

Since 2011, the European Commission releases the list of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) every three years. These raw materials have no viable substitutes with current technologies, which most consumer countries are dependent on importing, and whose supply is dominated by one or a few producers. In 2011, 14 CRMs were identified, 20 in 2014 and 27 in 2017.

A lot of researchers insist that we need to start addressing these issues now. A study shows more than 25% percent of electronics that are taken for disposal are either still functional or economically repairable.

Make haste to end a waste 

Nowadays, electronics are made to be replaced as the technology is improving. However, to combat the wastes generated you can follow certain things:

• You can sell or donate old electronics
• You can maintain electronics properly, so they last longer
• You can recycle or dispose the e-waste properly
• You can store data online to clear storage space and
• Use rechargeable devices
• Instead of buying low quality products, you can buy energy efficiency rated electronics

One Person's Trash is Another Person's Treasure

By recycling 1 million cell phones more than 35,000 pounds of copper, 33 pounds of palladium, 772 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold can be recovered.  Those materials are not only worth money, but recovery will also help to reduce the amount of mining necessity. Slowing e-waste generation will require both consumers as well as manufactures by changing the frame of mind on electronics. Many solutions can be conceived, if we just take a step into it.