Strategies to reduce E-waste produced by over consumption of electric and electronic devices
As the population of the world increases rapidly, the rate of consumption of different materials is also increasing; therefore there is an associated increase in the production of waste. This over consumption of materials can be seen in many areas: waste of energy, natural resources and the trees used for the production of paper. One of the fastest growing examples of this type of waste, is the disposal of electrics and electronic equipment, also known as E-waste. According to Heberlein (2006), a brief definition of E-waste might be a mix of waste containing electronic and electric devices. This waste accounts for 4 percent of civil waste in the European Union. Additionally, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery-DRRRC (2005) suggests that E-waste is the popularised name for the electronic products which are nearing the end of their useful lives and are discarded despite the fact that many of these devices can be reused, refurbished, and recycled. They give the examples of computers, televisions, copiers and fax machines as every day household products which are disposed of. Heberlein (2006) also adds that every year between 14 and 20 million personal computers become trash in the US. Although this might seem like a large amount one should be aware that similar volumes of disposals occur throughout the world. The harm that over consumption has on the environment is an increasingly worrying factor; therefore, in order to solve this growing issue, there needs to be a concerted effort to find a solution. Many options have been offered as solutions to this problem from experts. However they have all proven to be of a temporary nature. Briefly, there are three principle strategies to solve the E-waste problem which can be categorized as Re-use, Repair-Remanufacture and Recycle.
In the first place and as the simplest
References: CDRRR. (2010). Recycle. Retrieved on March 2010 from http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Recycle/ CDRRR Hsin, C. (2009, April). Renewing electronics. Retrieved on March 2010 from http:// www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2009/04/09/renew-ing-electronics/ Heberlein, C