Electronic Waste Problems and Solutions †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Electronic Waste Problems and Solutions. Answer: Introduction Electronic waste may not cause harm to user or the environment if it is stored safely and not exposed. However, electronic waste contains some valuable components which may be re used in an attempt to reduce production cost. In developing countries little focus is given to E-waste This could be attributed to middle men or scrap metal dealers and lack of legislation. It is important to re-use since E-waste can pile up to very huge amounts. E-waste is a resource and useful materials can be extracted. In the production of electronic equipment some resources are mined from the earth hence it is also important to re cycle in order to ensure that the natural resources are not depleted from the environment. The problem caused by E-waste that is deposited in a land fill is that the metals can sip into the soil and carried to water bodies or the metals may seep into underground water reserves. This will contaminate the water and could poison users of the water downstream. Potentially causing the users respiratory ailments, reproduction, development and nervous system problems. The materials contained in E-waste can be recycled, this materials include PVC, glass, aluminium, copper, aluminium and other precious metals which can be re used in other manufacturing processes. Figure 1: Composition of E-waste(Daniel Mmereki, 2016) For example in the making of new LCD screens more than 50% of indium which is a material used in making the screens is sourced from old recycled screens. Recycling of mobile phones can recover up to 50 lbs of gold, 550 lbs of silver, 20 lbs of palladium and over 20,000 lbs of copper. (Coalition, 2011). This are examples that show the importance of recycling E-waste. Recycling electronic waste is one of the contributors to modern ways of ensuring that there is a sustainable development. The design and management of these recycling methods should have the correct standards and legislation this is due to the fact that E-waste can pose a danger to human life and can be hazardous in some situations.(Stephanos, 2014). The growth of E-waste as time progresses leads to environmental degradation in the absence of a proper management system. The main influencing factors have to be examined in order to effectively analyse the effect of electronic waste. The factors that are discussed in this se ctor are among factors such as environmental, technological, economical, resource and information attributes (Wang Yuxian, 2016). The wide variety of E-waste makes it a challenge to categorize it for example the components in a mobile phone differ so much from those of an electric kettle although both are regarded as electronic waste. Wastes from items such as fridges contain refrigerants which may lead to the depletion of the ozone layer. Hence proper analysis of waste from different sources is paramount. E-waste is a problem of increasing proportions especially if crude methods are used in the extract of useful items. Recycling waste should be an initiative taken by all parties including the users, the government and the investors who set up factories for re cycling as an enterprise. Identification and Causes Studies have been done to determine the effects of E-waste to the environment and human health. This problems are attributed to improper management of the process of re cycling and improper disposal of the waste. Heavy metals can find their way into the food chain which would cause various health related problems. Legislation is one of the major are that can be used to mitigate the problems caused by E-waste. In view of the adverse effects of the electronic waste most countries have come up with stringent measures to address this (SathyaSundar, 2014). This was drawn from some instances where developed countries had started shipping hazardous materials to developing countries. Some of the problems attributed to E-waste to the environment are as shown below. Problems caused by electronic waste: In areas the dust from electronic waste recycling has been found settle on the ground. This contributes to higher levels of metal contamination of the soil. Chip resistors and Semi-conductors Leads to the human health problems specifically respiratory problems. Humans who work in the E-waste recycling plants have been found to have Trace Elements in their blood.(Atsushi Terazano) Wires contain PVC which when working with can lead to reproductive health hazards. (Michelle Heacock, 2015) CFC which are released to the environment when recycling used fridges can cause depletion of the ozone layer which is attributed to problems of global warming. This has recently lead to unpredictable weather patterns in the globe. Another problem would be the requirement of large amounts of capital to set up the recycling plants Difficulty in establishing a scientific measure of the effect of the e-waste when preparing legislation.(S. Harivardhini, 2015) Motherboards contain beryllium which when one is exposed to can lead to skin warts and when the flames are inhaled could cause Chronic Beryllium disease Bibliography Atsushi Terazano, M. O. (n.d.). E-Waste Recycling in Asia: Process Classification, Environmental Effect and knowledge Sharing . Michelle Heacock, C. B. (2015). E-waste and Harm to Vulnarable Pupulations . Envirnmental Health Perspectives , 8-12. Namias, J. (2013). The Future of Electronic Waste Recycling . Bogota . Harivardhini, A. C. (2015). E Waste Dismantlling. Profitable at the cost of Occupational Hazard? Conference on Technology for Sustainability . SathyaSundar, K. (2014). Electronic Waste Problems and Solutions . Journal on Nano Science and NanoTechnology, 550-570. Stephanos, T. T. (2014). Legislation, Desing and Management of Electrical and Electronic E-Waste Procedures . Wang Yuxian, W. D. (2016). Research on Environmental Impact Assesment of E-Waste Reverse Logistics. International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Security. Yeng Ting, L. W. (2012). Improving E-waste Recovery with Energy Efficiency Information of Products . Kahhat, R., Kim, J., Xu, M., Allenby, B., Williams, E. Zhang, P. 2008, 'Exploring e-waste management systems in the United States', Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 52, no. 7,pp. 955-64.