International E-Waste Day

In News

• Every year 14th October is celebrated as  International E-Waste Day.

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.

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