Electronic-waste
or e-waste is a collective name for trashed electronic items such as PCs,
laptops, motherboards, batteries, DVDs, mobile phones and other consumer
electronics equipments. They need to be disposed of properly and safely because
they are loaded with highly toxic and poisonous substances like lead, cadmium, mercury,
hexavalent chromium, polybrominated flame retardants etc. These are not found
in other forms of human waste.
The
large-scale growth of IT industry and digital technology has given rise to the fast-growing
piles of e-waste worldwide, particularly in developed nations. If they’re not
disposed of quickly and safely, they can have long term harmful impact on the
environment and can have an irreversible toll on human life.
You
can ask why it is such a big problem in getting rid of e-waste. E-waste doesn’t
come within the current forms of municipal waste disposal such as landfilling
and ignition. The toxic substances from metals such as lead, mercury and
cadmium leak out to the landfills, leading to serious soil and groundwater
pollution.
Waste
destruction by burning or ignition is prevented due to certain limitations.
Ignition process creates slag, fly ash, flue gas and filter cake. The plastic waste is ignited it creates highly
toxic dioxins and furans, leaving behind heavy metals as slag and fly ash. For
that, safe e-waste disposal requires specialized mechanical and chemical processes
by which recyclable components like mercury, gold, copper etc. are first
recovered. Then, the residual matter is chemically treated to become harmless
and later they can be burnt to be disposed of completely.
