Proper E-Waste Management and Computer Recycle Programs Ensuring an Unpolluted Eco-system
An Overview
With more and more disused computers and other outdated electronic goods piling up in the landfills, e-waste has turned out to be one most prominent problems of the world. While e-waste constitutes 2 % of the total waste of the United States, the United Kingdom alone produces 1.8 million tons of e-waste every year. Thus, the governments of different states have come up to introduce new rules and regulations to deal with the e-waste problem efficiently and responsibly. Most laws designed to address the e-waste problem encourage computer recycling as a solution.
E-Waste Posing Threats to Plant Life, Animal Kingdom and the Environment As A Whole
The chief concern with electronic waste is that it contains harmful chemicals, which when thrown out in the dumpsters to skips, leach into the water bodies and mix up in the air to contaminate the entire eco-system posing serious health risks to human beings and the animal kingdom. Thus, the e-waste problem is not only pervasive and widespread nut endangers the livelihoods of the both man and animals.
Scopes of Combating E-waste Problem
In February, 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme published a report titled “Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources” which collected e-waste-related data from eleven developing countries to exhibit the present and future of e-waste production. As the report claims, the quantity of global e-waste is most likely to increase in the years to come.
Steps Taken By The Countries to Fight Against the E-Waste Issue
With the e-waste problem taking up a big shape, countries like the UK and the USA have realized the need for strict laws to combat the problem. The United Kingdom has come up with the WEEE Directive that aims to trim down the production of electronic and electrical equipment and encourage computer recycling. By encouraging the re-use and recycling of computer equipments and other electronic goods, the WEEE Directive tries to reduce the adverse impact of electrical and electronic equipments on the environment.
Like WEEE Directive, the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive was launched to prevent the bad impacts of e-waste on the environment. This directive restricted the use of size substances like cadmium, lead, mercury, Chromium VI, PBB and PBDE in electronic and electrical goods. The RoHS directive is basically meant for the manufacturers and suppliers of electronic and electrical devices.
What Should We Do To Prevent Improper Computer Disposal?
Rather than disposing of the redundant computers and other electronic and electrical appliances to the landfills, we should try to reuse them. There are many fun projects where low-powered old computers and electronic gadgets can be used. Computers that have reached their end of useful life can serve as great file servers. You can also make music jukeboxes or use them as digital recipe boxes in your kitchen. This way, you can put your old computers to use and prevent the improper computer disposal.
