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In News
- Every year 14th October is celebrated as International E-Waste Day.
International E-Waste Day (IEWD)
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Some shocking Statistics
The Brussels-based non-profit gave some shocking statistics about the rising tide of e-waste.
- Year 2021 has generated a total of about 57.4 million tonnes (MT) of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE).
- This will be greater than the weight of the Great Wall of China, Earth’s heaviest artificial object.
- In 2019, Global E-waste Monitor reported 53.6 MT of WEEE .
- It shows a 21 percent jump in the five years since 2014.
- E-waste is predicted to reach 74 MT by 2030.
- E-waste generation was increasing annually by 2 MT.
- An estimated 40 percent of heavy metals in US landfills come from discarded electronics.
Reasons behind High E-Waste Generation and Less Recycling
- Higher consumption rate of electronics:
- Some 54-113 million mobile phones, weighing 10-20 tonnes, are lying in drawers and other storage spaces.
- Shorter product life cycles:
- It was found that the previous phones got slow as soon as new upgrades and new models were launched in the market.
- Limited repair options:
- Many manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, don’t allow repair and reuse facilities.
- The Environmental Protection Agency of the USA estimates that more than 151 million phones a year- approximately 416,000 a day- are trashed and end up incinerated or landfilled.
- Hesitancy and Unawareness among Consumers:
- A key factor in used electronic devices not being given for recycling was because consumers themselves did not do so.
Implications of not recycling or reusing
- Environmental Implications:
- As long as citizens don’t return their used, broken gear, sell it, or donate it, mining of all-new materials will continue .
- It will cause great environmental damage.
- Loss of precious resources:
- The recovery of gold and other material from waste saves a lot of carbon dioxide emissions when compared with virgin metal mining.
- Economic Implications:
- A tonne of discarded mobile phones is richer in gold than a tonne of gold ore.
- High-value, recoverable materials conservatively valued at $57 billion , a sum greater than the Gross Domestic Product of most countries ,
- Were mostly dumped or burned in 2019 rather than being collected for treatment and reuse.
Way Ahead
- Awareness Drive:
- Successfully raising collection rates would require participation of every actor, including consumers, producers.
- Get more dead or unused plug-in or battery-operated products to facilities where they can be either repaired or recycled.
- Government Intervention:
- Incentivising the consumers will help in waste collection.
- A provision of penalty for violation of rules to be introduced.
- Circular Economy:
- The recycling will enable the recovery of a king’s fortune in valuable materials and reduce the need for new resources.
- Right to Repair:
- The EU is leading in such a paradigm under which the consumers are being empowered to reuse their electronic products.
E-waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2016
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For more details related to e-waste generation & Policy Paper on Circular Economy to Deal with E-Waste of Meity. Kindly go through this link.
Source: DTE
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