Exposing the Numbers: The Truth Behind E-waste

In this world full of technological comfort, it’s a common sight to see different tech come and go. Past tech trends such as the pager or fax machine were innovative during their time, but they have become obsolete over time. You do not find any use for them anymore. So, where do they go? Let us find out the truth behind e-waste in numbers.

A quick introduction about e-waste

E-waste is any technological medium that a person disposes of when it loses its purpose or importance in the current time. Some examples of e-waste are old media drivers, desktops, laptops, mobile phones, printers, ink cartridges, single-use batteries, chargers, other peripherals, and more. Any sample of electronics can be e-waste when discarded or disposed of due to wreckage or neglect.

The effect of this is shocking, as the overproduction of tech in the modern world rises at a staggering rate. To this extent, e-waste is one of the fastest-growing contributors to the solid waste problem. Let us look at the numbers about e-waste in the current time.

Looking at the numbers: just how bad is the current e-waste status?

A lot of us are clueless about the consequence of our actions resulting from mismanagement of e-waste. These are some of the recent facts about e-waste that can worsen life if they remain unchanged. Trust me. There are quite serious issues and, you should be aware of the following.

However, keep in mind that if your phone has low coverage than it might be a problem. So, you need to apply some tactical methods to boost mobile coverage first in order to make sure that you can get the most out of your ride sharing apps and digital maps and make sure you won’t get any lags or loading issues. By doing so you can help contribute to minimizing e-waste.

Landfills and incinerators are the major destinations of e-waste. Globally, over 80 percent of household electronics is stored and burned in landfills. This is a major health risk, as the smoke from incinerating e-waste can cause respiratory failure. This is why working in this kind of environment is highly hazardous and not for the faint-hearted. Thanks to companies that arrange to bring these e-waste to locations approved by the municipal governments likeEvergreen Junk Removal.

E-waste and toxicity are related to one another. E-waste in America is just two percent of the overall waste in the landfills. However, it accounts for 70 percent of toxic waste. Lead is the most abundant chemical found in old electronics and can cause serious health problems.

Phones contain valuable metals like silver or gold. If we recover one million phones every year, we can recover 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium.

The sad part about e-waste conservation is the actual amount of recycled e-waste. Only 10 percent of e-waste is recycled. The remaining 90 percent goes straight into landfills and incinerators.

Wrapping it all up: contribute to the better good.

Recycling electronics will help the environment and the community. It is never late to practice good e-waste management. Start at your home by reselling your old tech to others, donate items to charities that need them the most, or consider getting help from your local junk removal company. Every single thing that we can do to manage our electronic waste will help the environment in the long run.

Other Source:

The Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) & The E-waste Coalition, 2019. A New Vision for Circular Electronics: Time for a Global Reboot.

Kamlesh Bakshi