The amount of old electronics that are discarded every year is rapidly increasing. With lower prices and rapidly changing technology, computers, phones and TVs now have very short life spans. In many countries, e-waste is the fastest growing type of trash. It is reported that as much as 4,000 tonnes of toxic e-waste are discarded every hour. Vast amounts are routinely and often illegally shipped as waste from Europe, USA and Japan.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is electronics equipment that isn't properly recycled. Electronic items such as computers, cameras, cell phones, Plasma TV, and DVD players are filled with highly toxic materials, like lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. To make matters worse, much of our e-waste is recycled (often illegally) overseas using sub-standard methods that do more harm than good. The E-waste recycling and disposal operations found in China, India, and Pakistan are extremely polluting and likely to be very damaging to human health. Examples include open burning of plastic waste, exposure to toxic solders, river dumping of acids, and widespread general dumping.
For examples, the two pictures posted here speak for themselves. The first one shows two unprotected workers in Guangdong, China recover parts and materials from the e-waste. The second one shows a boy (in Ghana) burning electronic cables and other electrical components in order to melt off the plastic and reclaim the copper wiring. This burning in small fires releases toxic chemicals into the environment. Perhaps for them, who are most probably not aware of the hazard, they are just doing a good job to get some money to live on.
How about the e-waste awareness in Malaysia?
I think Malaysians, especially the urban people, know that they need to recycle e-waste and not dump it anywhere they like. However, the Government or non-governmental organisations need to create more awareness through the mass media on how and where people can recycle different materials. The DOE do have a list of offsite full recovery facilities for e-waste in Malaysia, as you can see in the following picture.
However, the authorities should provide recycling bins in more places, especially in universities, shopping centres, or any easy-to-reach drop-off points. Having a proper e-waste management programme should help also.
Besides that, most companies in Malaysia do not inform the public of any take back of e-waste, either. Maybe the Government should provide incentives to encourage them to take back e-waste. Functionally good products – not pieces of junk – can be donated to the underprivileged, too.
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ReplyDeletesomething totally random but flashed in my mind in relation to e-waste :) in an episode of House,they did put forward the issue of e-waste trading, whereby a patient's health was at stake due to a radioactive piece of metal he had retrieved from a metal recovery centre.
ReplyDeletecountries with land would handle the disposal of such waste from another country who is able to swallow the cost. Taking advantage of its economic situation? or plain DUMPING your worries of harmful waste to a less informed party?
the image of e-waste burning sets horror to my mind; the amount of harmfuls being burnt and released into the atmosphere unleashing a whole lot of toxic poison.
Something I read in a research paper.
ReplyDeleteNo country has ever experienced as large or as fast an increase in solid waste quantities
that China is now facing. In 2004 China surpassed the United States as the world's largest waste generator, and by 2030 China's annual solid waste quantities will increase by another 150% - growing from about 190,000,000 tons in 2004 to over 480,000,000 tons in 2030.
The social, financial, and environmental impacts of this growing waste stream are significant. All aspects of China's waste management system are undergoing wholesale
changes as government tries to respond to the challenge.
China needs to move up the "waste management hierarchy" promoting waste minimization, reuse and recycling, before other waste disposal methods are pursued.
However, even with aggressive waste diversion activities China's future waste disposal needs are enormous. For example China's cities will need to develop an additional 1400 landfills over the next 20 years.
Imagine that! 1400 landfills in the next 20 years! In Malaysia we currently have 148 landfills, 10 of which are sanitary landfills and the rest being dumpsites.