Are you someone who changes phone frequently whenever a new modal is released? or are you a gamer who buys a lot of gaming consoles and VR stuff? Are you really proud of your kid's room overflowing with electrical toys? once their life is expired what happens to all this e-waste?
The amount of global electronic waste in 2022 weighed the equivalent of about 375 cruise ships. By 2023 it is going to be the double weight of waste generated in 2014 which is 67 million tons. Let's see what are all chemicals used in the manufacturing of semiconductors, resistors, diodes, LEDs, transistors, capacitors, oscillators, batteries, switches, and ICs which are basically the building blocks of any electronic device. These are made of some harmful as well as valuable metals.
Valuable metals:
Gold – Electroplating chemicals, Gold bonding wires, Switch and relay contacts.
Silver – Printed circuit boards, Soldering.
Platinum – Fiberglass, Cathode Ray Tubes, LEDs, Flat panel displays.
If we recycle 1 million mobiles, it would yield
35,274 pounds of copper
772 pounds of silver
75 pounds of gold
33 pounds of palladium
Harmful metals:
Cadmium – Rechargeable batteries, contacts, and switches.
Mercury – Liquid Crystal Display(LCD), switches, batteries, and fluorescent lamps.
Lead – Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) and in computer and TV screens.
Hexavalent chromium – Metal housings.
Nickel – Circuit boards and soldering.
Lead and cadmium – Rechargeable batteries in game consoles and electric toys.
Every chemical mentioned above contaminates air, water, and soil which ultimately affects the health of living creatures if we don't dispose or recycle them properly. Almost all electrical devices are 100% recyclable but only 17% of waste is getting recycled every year.
Recycling e-waste is not only safe for the environment but also saves landfill space.
If we feel that any device is outdated, we can donate it to someone who cannot afford it.
Many retailers are offering discounts in exchange, they will recycle the old product.
If the device is not usable we can give them to a certified e-waste hauler or recycler.
I want to share my personal experience with buying recycled goods. I went to a store to buy an inverter there are two brands whose features are typically the same but one is a bit costly when I asked for the reason they said that one is made of recycled parts and the costlier one is made of all-new parts. I did some research on it and actually, there is no difference between the two, as I always support sustainable products I opted for the one made of recycled parts.
Top 5 companies that are providing e-waste management solutions:
ENSYDE(Environmental Synergies in Development)
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