ELECTRONIC WASTESaaif Khan

Today we are going to discuss Electronic waste, something which is rarely discussed whenever people are talking about technology.

What’s the Problem?

Electronic waste, one of the biggest problems of the 21st century, and no one seems to know about it. It has been around since the dawn of electronics, and continues to be a problem in the world today. In countries such as Canada, this is not a very easy problem to see, but in countries such as India and China, this is a problem which can be seen almost anywhere.

Smartphones Tablets Laptops

Televisions Desktop Computers

Appliances

Things like smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, desktop computers, and even kitchen appliances all contribute to the problem of electronic waste, and the problem is a lot larger than you would expect. These are only some of the examples of technologies that produce waste, and of course, there are many more.

Average Life of Electronics:

1.63 Years

1.82 Years

5-6 Years

4.6 Years

Most people do not keep their technology for a very long time, and chances are, if you own a smartphone right now, you are probably going to get rid of it in less than two years for a new phone, and this produces waste. The fact that technology is so “disposable” these days is a huge problem, and one which needs to be solved soon.

Everyone Loves New Technologies and Products!

Everyone keeps buying new things every day, and when things go out of date or out of style, people simply throw them away and forget about them. Everyone loves new things, but what happens to the old things? Most people do not even think about what happens to their old technologies when they they get thrown away.

But everyone seems to ignore this.

This is what happens. When the new things become old, they get thrown away, and they end up in landfills everywhere, and as time goes on, they become huge electronic waste sites. This is obviously a very large problem, and if we keep creating these large landfills, sooner or later, our entire planet will become covered in electronic waste.

Did I mention

it’s all flammable?

This is also a problem because the majority of electronic waste is flammable, and that means all sorts of problems. Not only is the fire a problem, but the smoke, and the toxins released all contribute to the overall problem.

This, is a minor problem

Many people seem to believe that the risk of electronic fires is small, and can be easily controlled, but that is not really the problem at all.

This, is a MAJOR problem

The real problem is what happens when people try to burn electronic waste, and it begins to release all sorts of toxins into the air and the environment, destroying our world as well. Children in third world countries become exposed to these problems every day, and it deteriorates their life, their health, and the environment.

Only a small

phone,

right?

Many people also believe that smartphones and other devices only contain a small amount of all of these toxins, which are seemingly harmless on their own. These measurements may not seem like very much at all, but you need to look at the bigger picture.

Q2 2012 Q3 2012 Q4 2012

Imagine 36.8 MILLION of those

But when you multiply these toxins by a factor of millions or even billions, the problem is definitely easier to see, and everyone can agree that there are large amounts of toxic chemicals being released back into the environment. This is bad for countless reasons, and if we keep doing this, sooner or later, we will have no clean air to breathe and no place to live.

Just like these, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is Obsolete

You may not think that newer smartphones or devices will end up in dumps like these phones have, but like every technology, it eventually becomes obsolete, and what happens then?

And this is where they will all go.

They end up in a dump, just like all of the technology before it. No matter how new the technology is, it will eventually become obsolete, and it will get thrown into a dump somewhere in the world, creating large amounts of electronic waste, just like the technology which came before it.

We Need a solution

We need to find a solution to this. If we keep creating large amounts of electronic waste at this rate, our whole planet will become a wasteland, and absolutely no one wants that. If we want to continue living on Earth, and if we want to keep our environment healthy, we need to find a solution to this problem.

What’s Your Idea?

So now we need ideas, and solutions, and we need everyone’s help. It seems like a tough problem to solve, but we have to start somewhere. So what’s your idea?

References:Average life of tablet devices 2012-2017 | Statistic. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.statista.com/statistics/267473/average-tablet-life/

E-waste? (2013, June 17). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from https://priscillaliew918.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/e-waste/

Mirsa, A. (2013, April 15). Will The Announcement of Samsung Galaxy Mega Affect Galaxy S4 Sale? Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://dazeinfo.com/2013/04/15/will-the-announcement-of-samsung-galaxy-mega-affect-galaxy-s4-sale/

Morrison, G. (2013, February 3). How long do TVs last? (Morrison's Mailbag) - CNET. Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.cnet.com/news/how-long-do-tvs-last-morrisons-mailbag/

Paul, I. (2012, October 3). Newer smartphones have fewer toxic chemicals, teardown finds. Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.techhive.com/article/2011049/newer-smartphones-have-fewer-toxic-chemicals-teardown-finds.html

J. Geraldes. (2010, 01 November 2011). 38 Infographic Explores Mobile Phone Evolution - Facts and Figures (History and Statistics). Available: http://joaogeraldes.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/38-infographic-explores-mobile-phone-evolution-facts-figures-history-statistics/

MobileMuster, “Key Mobile Phone Recycling Facts,” Australian Mobile Telecommunication Association, Sydney 2011. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Electronics Waste Management in the United States”, Office of Solid Waste, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC EPA530-R-08-009, July 2008 2008. Electronix Redux n.d, ‘What is e-Waste?’, viewed at 18 June 2013, http://www.bostonelectronicwaste.com/go-green/what-is-ewaste/

References