Human civilization has done more than enough damage to the planet’s environment already. Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge about the current global concerns knows how proactively we need to protect the environment to reduce and revert the damage. Along with all kinds of pollution that were already there, in today’s modern era, e-waste has turned out to be a major concern for environmentalists and experts.
What Is E-Waste And Why Is It A Major Environmental Concern?
E-waste is a term used for all unused and waste electronic items. It can include all kinds of electronic gadgets including mobile phones, gaming consoles, speakers, TVs and everything electronic we see around us. While that is a basic definition of the term, the implications are far more severe than we can imagine. This makes e-waste a major global environmental concern.
To get a clearer picture of why e-waste has become a major concern, we can look into the data published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It indicates that in 2010 itself, over 2,440,000 tons of electronics, including computers, mobile devices and televisions, were disposed of. Although, only a mere 27% of that waste was recycled.
Along with huge amounts of wastes getting deposited in landfills, e-waste contains highly toxic materials like lead, nickel, cadmium and mercury, that pose huge risks to both human health as well as the environment. This brings us to the importance of E-cycling when it comes to managing e-waste and minimizing its severe impacts.
How E-Cycling Can Help Manage E-Waste?
E-Cycling is a relatively modern concept which works just like the process of recycling. It is the process of reusing and repurposing old and waste electronic items to derive something new from them. It is said that if the 130 million cell phones, which are disposed of annually in the U.S, are e-cycled, then it can save enough energy to power over 24,000 homes in one year. That is something incredible and worth discussing.
That can be just one of the few benefits of e-cycling and over the years, e-cycling has become more popular and some firms like CJD E-Cycling are operating in this area to reduce the impact of electronic waste on the environment. They help businesses in repurposing and managing e-waste.
Not just numbers and statistics, but e-cycling has some clear benefits for businesses as well as consumers. Some of them are:
- Eco-friendly and sustainable option of e-waste disposal.
- A rich source of raw materials including precious metals.
- Ensures data security.
- Saves resources for businesses.
- Prevents international and illegal movement of hazardous wastes.
- Ensures safety from toxic materials.
- Cost-effective and legal choice for electronics disposal.
E-Cycling Is The Way To Save The Planet!
The United Nations Environmental Protection Agency (UNEP) reports that around 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste is produced all across the world, every year. That clearly establishes the importance of e-cycling and how it is the surefire way to save the planet from the impact of e-waste.
