New technologies and our dependence on connectivity in our personal and professional life have led to an unequaled increase both of the use and demand for electronics. And throughout the epidemic, it quickly changed to meet our needs. Electronic garbage, or "electronic waste", have a significant negative impact because of our dependence on all that is electronic. Let's examine the difficulty, the dangers involved and the IT measures can take for the management of electronic waste.
What is electronic waste?
Historically, computers, servers, monitors, tablets, printers and mobile phones have been classified as electronic waste. This word now encompasses a much larger range of items used in houses and businesses, such as toys, tools, music, cars and portable technology. These products are transformed into electronic waste when their useful life is over.
The 2020 UN Worldwide E-waste Monitor indicates that electronic waste is the largest flow of global waste, contains many materials dangerous for human health and the environment and are rarely recycled. In addition to precious elements such as cobalt, lithium, palladium, copper and gold, electronic garbage also contains other materials whose value is lost if they are not recycled.
Hidden dangers of electronic waste
Although it is now generally recognized that there are executives and legal rules in place for the proper e-waste management. These are often misinterpreted and this causes harmful problems. Poor electronic elimination poses a wide range of risks. Let's look at some of the risks involved:
Electronic waste is made up of a variety of contaminants, including lead substances, mercury, par- and polyfluoroalkyle (PFAS), bromé flame delayers (BFR), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) pollutants (HCFC) persistent pollutants. These compounds contaminate discharges when electronic waste is not recycled, harming the supply of water by leachate and damaging the soil.
Communities close to discharges are particularly at risk of chemical exposures caused by inappropriate elimination of electronic waste. Irresponsible recycling operations frequently cause environmental contamination which affects the health of residents of neighboring communities.
If the manual dismantling of the gadgets necessary for e-waste recycling is not done correctly, it can expose workers to repetitive stress and other physical risks. Workers can be exposed to airborne pollutants, including lead, mercury and fuel dust, which have serious negative health effects, throughout the dismantling process.
After dismantling, the treatment of electronic waste elimination to recover precious metals uses risky chemicals and high -risk procedures, such as the treatment and fusion of acid, which creates dangerous work situations.
The majority of electronic waste treatment takes place in underdeveloped countries, many of which do not have cultural standards, safety infrastructure and regulatory regulations necessary to protect their workforce.
The other effects of exposure to electronic waste in children include thyroid dysfunction, poor birth results, behavioral changes, reduced pulmonary function and negative cellular changes.
How can IT companies implement electronic waste management?
Build a long -term plan
Long -term design is the first important lesson to learn for electronic waste management. For IT companies, this could be difficult because the majority of their income come from the satisfaction of a constant demand that increases each year. The financial flow slows down when demand decreases. The production of items that require an update, upgrade or complete replacement or a complete replacement maintains high and persistent demand.
This can be made possible by the inclusion of rental programs in the services provided by mobile service providers and similar companies. For example, a Verizon customer can pay a small amount for a new phone for about two years before having the opportunity to keep it or move to a new model and exchange the one for which they paid. Depending on the frequency they use and what this use includes, some computers buy a new phone and laptop each year.
Of course, it is difficult to ignore this economic model in favor of the creation of technologies that lasts longer than the standard in the fiercely competitive world of technology.
Naturally, there are limits how far this idea can go. New ideas enter the market each year while technology continues to evolve at dizzying speed. Additionally, technological companies must adapt to these changing times.
Even in these constraints, product design lasts as long as possible is a very responsible strategy for treating electronic waste and goes to the heart of electronic waste management.
Correct and reuse current products
Some technological companies manage this internally and offer renovated products reduced to their customers. Others collaborate with organizations such as electronic recycling centers for computers and laptops. These centers help buy outdated or older models, work with used models or accept donations. They then prepare the individual units for resale by renovating them, modernizing them and renovating them.
All this increases the lifespan of individual articles and considerably reduces the amount of electronic scrap that IT companies produce each year.
Slow down the use of new resources
Technological companies can sustainably exercise electronic waste management in several other ways than recycling and repair. Budget restrictions are particularly relevant.
Each company has a budget. And each company, even IT companies, continuously searches for methods to keep the budget inside.
After all, technology is necessary to create technology!
It is possible to establish policies within each company that minimize the need to buy new resources. In other words, while designers and producers certainly require specific tools, how much can they accomplish with what they already have? Can equipment, software, programs and tools be used longer before becoming completely useless?
Employ electronic waste recycling companies
How much does electronic waste costs correctly? The answer depends on a number of these factors:
Your location
Recycled materials and products
Availability of nearby recycling installations
To what extent the electronic waste recycling service is effective
How products and materials are completely dismantled
The partnership with e-waste management companies in India is an approach to bypass at least some of these problems and maintain a small recycling expenditure but efficient. Some of these companies take current products and really restore them and restore them. Others may extend the useful lifespan of these resources by separating the products into their recyclable and precious components and by sending these components to manufacturers.
Technological companies can receive a beneficial service on a predictable and foreseeable basis by associating with electronic waste recycling companies and by concluding an annual contract with them.
Make a donation of goods and services
Giving goods, locally or a larger organization, is a final way in which technological companies can reduce the amount of electronic waste they produce.
This applies particularly to the products that customers have returned, to the products that are always under warranty that require renovation or updates, and older and unsold products.
A computer company can considerably minimize its imprint of electronic waste and improve its reputation by making donations to charitable organizations and other groups.
Conclusion
The key conclusion that should be drawn is that, although electronic waste is an important problem, IT companies can make significant contributions to the solution.
No business can completely turn the trend. But while more and more companies are trying to implement these suggestions, we will get closer to find a long -term solution to the problem of electronic waste management.
