Electronic Waste: What is it and Why Should it Be Recycled?

This article aims to present the idea of electronic waste or e-waste and why they need to be properly recycled by responsible and certified recyclers.

In this digital era, it is no surprise that the use of electronic gadgets or devices has grown so much! Also, innovation has resulted in the emergence of electronics for almost every purpose. Starting from mobile phones to computers and laptops, home and kitchen appliances (like cookers, heaters, TVs, microwaves) to electrical devices (like fans, lights, and ACs), there are innumerable categories of electronics. However, we also need to consider that many electronics are short-lived, so they will turn into waste in a small amount of time. Discarding, disposing of, treating, and recycling those electronic waste products correctly with reliable recyclers, especially with R2 certification, is necessary.

Responsible recycling of e-waste is so essential for two reasons: there has been increasing amounts of electronic scrap generated every year, and secondly most of the waste has components like plastic, metal, glass, mercury, and chemically extracted products which are hazardous to the environment and human health. Considering these hard-hitting facts, electronic waste from your commercial store, office, organization, or home must go to an authorized recycler.
For a clearer understanding regarding electrical or technological wastes, here we will explain what electronic waste is and why and how it should be recycled.

Types of E-waste

There are innumerable types of electronic devices humans deal with. However, their total production and tons of waste are increasing every year, which is causing an alarming situation.

Some of the common categories of electronic waste or equipment are:

• Cooling equipment like freezers, fridges, and air conditioners
• Computers and telecommunication devices such as desktops, laptops, printers, scanners, Wi-Fi routers, and other equipment
• Consumer electronics such as mobile phones, tablets, Televisions, geysers, heaters, dryers, microwaves, irons, vacuum cleaners, etc.
• Home electricals, such as LED bulbs, fans, bells, alarms, CCTVs, etc.
• Medical equipment and diagnosis devices

Why Does E-Waste Need to be Recycled Wisely?

Out of millions of waste generated every year, only a mere 10-20% gets recycled. This reflects a worry for all and emphasizes why you should choose to hand all of your electronic wastes to an agency with R2 Responsible Recycling certification. The volume of waste generated is concerning, but bad management or recycling of them has severe impacts on the environment.

• Chemicals like cadmium, mercury, lithium, nickel, lead oxide, etc. are common in discarded batteries, power cells, or chargers of electronics. These are extremely toxic and pollute natural surroundings including rivers, lakes, canals, seas, and soils. Some of them even release gaseous pollutants into the air that are distressing for respiratory systems. Therefore, responsible consumption or the efficient use to increase the longevity of products, as well responsible disposal of the waste, is required.

• Many of these products are capable of reuse, and their useful life can be extended easily. With some defect or fault appearing in the products, a potential electronic recycler can repair them and sell them as second-hand/refurbished products. There is also a chance of donating these products to individuals/groups for free who need them, such as charities.

• Sustainable recycling of technological/electronic waste will help organizations that rely on such products for their operations—such as IT organizations, call-centers, and business process or knowledge process outsourcing companies. They are usually large-scale corporations that use hundreds of computers, laptops, telephones, and other such devices. So, they need to be associated with a certified and responsible e-waste recycler to which they can discard their devices. It will assure eco-friendly management and disposal of their wastes. This is also helpful for those organizations to sustain their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and show their stakeholders their commitment to environmental protection.

Key Processes for E-Waste Recycling That an R2 Certified Recycler Must Follow

Responsible R2 certified recyclers need to follow certain processes to ensure environment-friendly disposal or recycling of electronic wastes.

1. Collection of waste with appropriate methods and support equipment
2. Dismantling separate hazardous and non-hazardous components and identifing the items that can be recycled
3. Refurbishing the components or equipment and recovering them into reusable items
4. Correctly disposing of materials or components of the discarded products such as battery filling, toner cartridges, plastic, etc.

Conclusion

With an upsurge in the use of electronics in both business and personal lives, we have to be careful about their disposal. R2 certification focuses on the effective management of e-waste by a recycler and ensures the safety of the environment as well as health. In short, with the growing use of electronic products in every field, efficient refurbishing and recycling standards will result in a sigh of relief for large-scale users. The users can be assured that indispensable and large-scale use of products is not going to harm the environment when they have a responsible recycler by their side.