Current Trends In E-Waste Recycling
The ever-increasing reliance on electronics, phones, and computer equipment, and the continuous introduction of new products to the market has left the world with an e-waste problem that grows every year. Among all the other issues with excess garbage and toxic materials affecting the world's environment today, these items present additional problems not so easily solved by existing methods. The current trends in e-waste recycling seek to solve problems and streamline the entire manufacturing to disposal cycle.
What Is E-Waste?
E-waste is also called electronic waste, end-of-life electronics, and e-scrap. It consists of any type of electronic equipment that people want to throw out. This includes phones, computers, TVs, gaming systems, appliances, office equipment, and even some industrial machines.
Currently, a lot of these things end up in landfills due to improper disposal methods. The ones that do enter the recycling process are treated in a variety of different ways depending on the components themselves and their destination.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), e-waste specifically focuses on electronic items and parts with reusable materials. The definition focuses on the components that run the device rather than its plastic case or other meaningless parts. While plastic is recycled in many ways, that occurs outside conversation about e-waste recycling.
How Is E-Waste Recycled and Why Do Problems Exist?
Most e-waste recycling currently takes place in the Asian-Pacific region. Developing economies receive massive shipments of cast-off electronics and follow their own guidelines and best practices to recycle the metal and other materials within.
After shipments arrive at their intended location, the economic reality of recycling companies in these developing nations makes it very difficult for them to reject shipments. They may include potentially hazardous materials or types of e-waste they are not equipped to process. Incineration, acid baths, and other undesirable labor practices can lead to environmental and personal issues.
New Solutions for E-Waste Excess
How can the world solve the e-waste recycling problem and make reuse of valuable materials more friendly to the environment and the people tasked with the job? The National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship released by the EPA forms a foundation of new rules and plans for electronic product manufacture and recycling.
Proposed or in-place changes include a focus on a zero-waste, circular economy, increased attention to cyber security to improve hardware destruction methods, and a general focus on proper e-waste recycling certifications, workers' rights, and environmental oversight for existing service companies.
Ultimately, people are not going to give up their personal electronics anytime soon, and the world's reliance on technology and automation will only increase in the coming years. As the need for e-waste recycling skyrockets, the world's environmental and economic authorities must reimagine the entire manufacturing to consumer pipeline with an eye toward sustainability instead of profitability alone.
