Proper E-waste Management

One of the pressing problems that many countries have to deal with these days is the significant increase in e-waste which is composed of electronic devices and parts that can no longer be used or are nearing the end of their recommended time of use. These waste materials are considered health threats to humans and other living things because of their toxic contents. They are also pollutants that cause serious harm to the environment. The threats that e-waste pose on humans and the ecosystem call for the responsible handling of e-waste. This is where proper e-waste management comes in.

Proper e-waste management focuses on the correct disposal, salvage, reuse, and resale of e-waste. Electronic waste materials such as old computers, busted televisions, damaged circuit boards, and dead batteries cannot just be disposed in landfills with all the other trash because they may contain substances like lead, barium, and mercury that can contaminate the air, water, and land. Fumes that come from the chemicals found in e-waste can pollute the air that people and other living things breathe in. This can cause serious lung problems and other diseases. The sludge and acid from e-waste can also seep into groundwater and contaminate the water that people use. It can also increase the acidity of soil that will render certain areas of land barren and useless.

The increased use of electronics and the high costs involved are the top reasons that make it difficult for many countries to implement proper e-waste management strategies. Studies reveal that because of these reasons, around 75 percent of e-wastes are just kept in storage. The worse thing about this is that e-waste is initially stored as junk in homes, offices, schools, and other places where people usually are. The e-waste may eventually be sold at junk shops where they are also kept in storage or thrown into landfills and get mixed with other types of trash. Because of these practices, the e-waste management strategy that is foreseen to be most effective is e-waste minimization.

E-waste minimization will include prompting electronic industries to control the materials used in producing electronics by either using substitutes that can ensure that electronic devices but produce less e-waste in the future or, if possible, totally remove all materials and substances that will cause electric devices to end up being e-waste. Creators of electronic devices will also be encouraged to use renewable materials that can later on be reclaimed by manufacturers for recycling. It is believed that the best way for e-waste management to be effective is for the process to begin even before electronics are manufactured.