By Raj Kumar, Founder & CEO, Deshwal Waste Management Pvt Ltd.(DWMPL)
The amount of e-waste produced is rapidly increasing, exacerbated by illicit exporting and inappropriate donations of electronic equipment, particularly computers, from industrialized to underdeveloped countries. In official recycling centers with adequate worker protection, only about 25% of e-waste gets recycled. Both direct and indirect exposures during recycling, as well as environmental contamination, have the potential to be harmful to one’s health.
There are policy frameworks in place to safeguard vulnerable groups, but they are not adequately implemented.
According to a study by the Central Pollution Control Board, India created 1,014,961.2 tonnes of e-waste for 21 different categories of EEE in the fiscal year 2019-2020. According to a recent United Nations (UNU) analysis, global e-waste – wasted electrical and electronic equipment — would rise by 38% between 2020 and 2030. The quick increase can be attributed to rising urban populations and a growth in rampant consumerism over the last few generations, neither of which is expected to slow down very soon. Communities all over the world are turning to smart waste management technology and solutions to mitigate the load on the ecosystem and designated disposal services.
6 Innovative ways to Recycle/Manage eWaste:
Innovative waste management technologies are available to assist us in managing our digital garbage and maximizing the usefulness of an object. It is possible to do so by reusing, recycling, or decreasing. On an individual level, all of this is applicable. Industrial-scale waste management, on the other hand, necessitates sophisticated technology and long term planning.
Robotic eWaste Monitoring Systems
IoT eWaste monitoring systems allow waste management organizations to track the amount of trash gathered in containers. Based on this, they may plan e-waste disposal routes, ensuring that eWaste-collection vehicles follow an energy-efficient route that saves cash and effort. This will place electronic waste disposal on a dedicated online world, making its disposal more convenient and efficient. This decade will see a rise in demand for intelligent monitoring systems.
Robotic Processes for eWaste Sorting
Machine Intelligence or AI technology can assist us in addressing inappropriate garbage disposal and capitalizing on missing possibilities. As a result, an AI system can assist us in recycling efficiently and affordably while eliminating extremely damaging blunders, thereby reaching a zero-waste lifestyle.
eWaste Recycling Plants that are Innovative
Sorters, shredders, scanners, and other technologies have made the recycling process more efficient and beneficial to both investors and clients. A business worth billions of dollars around the world is still trying to come to terms, well with the concept of recycling, but it is unquestionably something for the future.
Buy-Back Programs
The inconvenient nature of processing E-waste has resulted in garbage piling. However, as our mineral wealth dwindle, it is imperative that electronic trash be recycled through creative eWaste management methods. Buy-Back programs, a new method, will pay consumers in cash each time they deposit unwanted digital products. This E-waste might include any state of portable electronic equipment such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, and so on.
eWaste to Energy Concept
eWaste can also be used to generate power. It can generate power and recovers metals for reuse by using the eWaste as an electrode. The Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a non-polluting method. It reduces the cost of treating organic eWaste by generating power even without fossil fuels.
eWaste management to achieve climate sustainability goals
Metals in e-waste are difficult to recover; for example, overall cobalt recovery rates are just 30%. However, the metal is in high demand for laptop, smartphone, and electric vehicle batteries. Metals smelted from recycled ore use two to ten times less energy than metals melted down from virgin ore. Furthermore, compared to mining gold from the earth, mining discarded gadgets emits 80 percent less carbon dioxide per unit of gold. As a result, increasing the use of scrap materials in electronic goods might significantly aid in achieving climate sustainability goals.
Summing up:
With most of these technologies at our disposal and more inventive ideas to promote ecologically friendly solutions being developed on a daily basis, it may not be long until we can return the earth to its previous state. The only thing lacking is the proper mindset. Many people are locked in the same conventional linear economic cycle rather than attempting to adapt further into Circular Economy lifestyle, which benefits everyone.
Even if someone argues that the damage was done and that no amount of work can undo the damage, many feel that it can be reduced to a level that will successfully make the society more viable for future generations. With an innovative approach with the inclusion of technological advances, managing eWaste is now possible.
Also Read: E-Waste as a Challenge to Sustainable Development