Have you ever wondered what happens to your old phone, TV, or computer when you get a new one? Well, they simply don't just disappear! Rather, they find a way into our neighbourhood dump yards and get mixed with other household waste. You may have seen in your neighbouring scrap yard that people are manually dismantling discarded electronic equipment or burning it. This unhealthy practice exposes them to hazardous substances.
Toxicity in discarded electronic gadgets
All electronic devices contain toxic compounds such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. If such contents are spilled into the environment, they cause soil and water pollution. Even when the gadgets are simply discarded in landfills, the leaching of heavy metals from electronic waste causes environmental concerns. Burning e-waste, which is still a common practice across the country, causes the emission of harmful gases responsible for respiratory ailments. Having said that, e-waste is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world.
So, how can we ensure that we do not harm our environment despite the fact that the generation of electronic waste has more than doubled between 2017 and 2022 from 0.8 million tonnes to 1.6 million tonnes?
Choose the right way to dispose of e-waste
Recycle: You might not know that many electronic devices can be recycled. One way to do this could be to de-brick them and use some of the materials to make new products. In India, there are numerous e-waste recycling plants; Samsung, Dell, and HP are among the established recyclers. The website of the Central Pollution Control Board also has a list of e-waste collection centers that have been authorized to handle such waste.
Donate: If your old gadget is in a good state as it does not break down on use, you can donate to a charitable school, someone in need, or any organization that uses such devices.
Trade-in: Some firms have trade-in deals where you can buy at a discounted rate because you give up your old device and buy an upgraded device. For instance, Samsung has a trade-in program aimed at switching smartphones, tablets, and TVs.
E-waste collection drives: Community e-waste collection drives are an idea that people are warming up to. In such drives, people in a community bring all their discarded electronic devices to a big garage. While the gadgets that are usable and salvageable will be refurbished and donated to the communities, the ones that cannot be refurbished will be recycled to extract precious metals.
A community in Chennai collected as much as 750 kg of e-waste in its first drive! That’s a great deal of outdated electronics that will not go to the landfill!
So how can you pitch in?
Ask your family members and friends whether there are such electronic items in the home that are of no use.
Assist them to pick up the discarded electronics and deliver them at a community drive collection point.
Design posters to make people aware of the risks posed by e-waste disposal and discuss how it has to be recycled in a proper manner.
Indian Companies working towards utilisation of e-waste
Samsung: Samsung, through its "Care for Clean India" program, offers free e-waste pick-up services for any brand of television, refrigerator, washing machine, and more. Just send a WhatsApp message to 1800 5726 7864 to schedule a pickup.
Dell: Dell has collaborated with several organisations to gather and recycle e-waste. When customers want to discard a Dell product, they can mail back the product to Dell for free. They just need to box up their items and drop them at a local dropping center or schedule a pickup.
HP: HP has established e-waste collection points in the main cities of India and holds a take-back program for its products.
Amazon: Amazon offers a recycling program for electronic items like Kindle, Echo range of devices, Fire TV stick and other selected accessories. Amazon has 36 collection points across India where consumers can recycle their discarded goods.
In fact, there are several startups now which are focused on recycling E-Waste. One such example is Noida-based e-waste management firm Attero, which started recovering gold, silver, aluminum, and copper from discarded gadgets and appliances.
What can you do?
You can be an active stakeholder in the fight against e-waste.
Take care of your devices: The longer you use your devices, the less actual e-waste ends up being created. So, take care of your phones, laptops, and other electronics.
Choose wisely: Try to go for pre-owned or refurbished devices whenever possible.
Recycle or donate: Once you are done with using a gadget, recycle it or if possible, donate it to someone who might need it.
Remember:
E-waste is a growing problem, but there are numerous ways to dispose of it responsibly.
Recycling, donating, and trading your old devices are all good options.
Indian companies like Samsung, Dell, and HP are taking steps to reduce their e-waste footprint.
You can help by taking care of your devices, choosing wisely, and recycling or donating them when you're done using them.
Together, we can make a difference!
A communications professional with 15+ years of cumulative experience in journalism and communications, envisioning and creating digital content, and designing and spearheading communication strategy for both nonprofits and corporations. Subhojit holds a Master’s Degree in English, with an inclination for anything literary! He has 15+ years of experience in journalism and communications, designing and spearheading communication strategy for both nonprofits and corporations. He is fond of traveling, reviewing books and plays, and watching parallel films.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
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