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May 5, 2024

By : consist2 / 0 Comments

The E-Waste Question: A Sustainable Perspective
“There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw something away, it must go somewhere.”

– Annie Leonard, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA
This quote summarizes the precise problem that the world faces with waste materials. For thousands of years, the human race depended on Mother Nature to decompose and dispose of all its waste. But today, the kinds of waste generated in the modern world- plastics, disposables, industrial, and electronics- are difficult to decompose and can also cause a lot of harm to the environment around us. For example, very few people know that electronic waste contains toxic materials that, if thrown away casually in landfills could end up causing soil as well as water pollution!

Hence, as more and more people become aware of the urgent necessity of waste management, there is no such thing as ‘away’- we need to be sure of where our waste is going and what becomes of it.

Amidst all the different forms of waste, one of the biggest menaces the world faces is electronic or e-waste. The unprecedented growth in global economies, as well as the constant innovation in the electronics sector in the span of half a century, has led to e-waste becoming the primary concern in waste management. Consistent Engineering Consultants has always focused on working towards the Sustainable Development Goals, by incorporating energy-efficient and sustainable design in all its projects. This Diwali we decided to take action and lead by example, with an ‘E-Waste Collection and Disposal Drive’ as a part of our Corporate Social Responsibility as well as an informative article addressing ‘the e-waste question’.

So what is the e-waste question? How can we address the rising issue of e-waste management sustainably on a global scale? How can we ensure maximum recycling of e-waste to preserve the environment?

To understand this, let’s take a look at what e-waste really means, and the factors contributing to its proliferation.

The Rise of E-Waste

“Electronic waste, also called e-waste: various forms of electric and electronic equipment that have ceased to be of value to their users or no longer satisfy their original purpose. Electronic waste (e-waste) products have exhausted their utility value through either redundancy, replacement, or breakage and include both “white goods” such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves and “brown goods” such as televisions, radios, computers, and cell phones.”

– Encyclopedia Britannica
Electronic waste has become a major component of waste material throughout the world. “E-Waste is one of the pre-eminent issues in waste management today,” says Mr. Sagar Kulkarni, MD, Consistent Engineering Consultants. “It is a threat having the potential to adversely affect the health and quality of human life. We need to deal with it at all levels, and inculcating awareness about proper e-waste disposal is of paramount importance.”

That being said, there are a number of factors that have led to the global rise of the electronic waste menace.

After the end of World War II, the prolonged period of peace and stability led to innovations in the electronics field. Key breakthroughs in developing information technology gave rise to the information and communication revolution. The prospering world economy and easy availability of electronic goods further facilitated the proliferation of all manner of devices- thus ushering in the era of electronic waste in the 21st century!

“If data is the new oil, then e-waste is the ocean of waste that will carry this oil,” opines Mr. Karan Thakkar, Founder and Director of EcoCentric Management, a leading waste management firm. “Growth is inevitable and with growth comes the question of sustainability.”

“The electronics industry is one of the largest and will continue to grow. How we tackle this problem at the manufacturing stage itself is the key. Recycling to me still seems to happen post facto or post mortem when the damage is already done. Many brands are still making it difficult to recycle their products, and that needs to change.”

According to UN reports, 41.8 million tonnes of e-waste was generated worldwide in 2014, out of which only 16% was recycled and disposed of properly.

Correspondingly, the number grew to 47.7 million tonnes in 2016, of which only 20% was recycled and disposed of appropriately.

The number is poised to grow at a steady rate of 2 million tonnes per year. This means that by 2020, we will have close to 55 million tonnes of e-waste!

E-Waste Management across the World: Then and Now

Traditionally, there are a number of ways in which we dispose of e-waste around the world. Most commonly, it is just thrown away along with the rest of the waste and finds its way into landfills. According to the UN report, we throw 80% of the electronic waste in the world into landfills or otherwise dispose of it in unsafe ways. There are a number of reasons why this lack of proper management is problematic:
  • Electronic waste contains a number of toxic materials- Mercury, Cadmium, Arsenic- which seeps into the ground, polluting soil and water
  • The total value of all raw materials present in electronic waste was estimated at approximately 55 Billion Euros in 2016. All that raw material- plastics, ceramics, metal- loses reuse value when buried in landfill
  • Also, electronic items contain traces of a number of rare metals such as gold, silver, platinum. When thrown into landfills, we lose these metals obtained after much processing and cannot reuse them
  • In many developing countries such as India, there is a huge unorganized sector that handles the disposal of e-waste. Many-a-times, untrained personnel suffer skin damage or health problems due to not taking proper precautions while handling the e-waste
“E-waste-connected health risks may result from direct contact with harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, chromium, brominated flame retardants or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), from inhalation of toxic fumes, as well as from accumulation of chemicals in soil, water and food.”

– World Health Organization

A Change of Mindset

What is the main difference we observe in the mindsets of these regions, as opposed to China or India? Awareness.

For the majority of the public to take part in recycling, it needs to be educated about its importance. Example: would laptops or smartphones really register as e-waste to a person spending a significant amount of money on them? Would the person rather not think of selling it to the local waste-picker for whatever money he can get?

Mr. Karan Thakkar says, “The second-hand market in India is very strong and provides employment to a number of people. It’s valid if one is expecting the electronic device to command a price, due to the available spare parts. The question always is, who should bear the cost of recycling? Should it be the companies manufacturing this toxic in the first place, the consumer buying it, or the government?” He continues. “There is no ownership, which needs to change.”

“E-waste is one of the fastest-growing streams and there should be a sacrifice that each stakeholder is willing to take to make this system work. And over a period of time, the model will work seamlessly.”

Unless people are aware of the dangers of improper e-waste disposal, they’re likely to end up contributing to the problem. Creating awareness is, therefore, the primary requirement in the battle against e-waste.

“When we started our journey, people never thought that phones, laptops or tube lights are potentially hazardous. Electronics were always thought of as assets.” He recollects. “But a decade later the scenario is much better. At least in the metros, individuals are constantly seeking avenues to dispose of their e-waste in an eco-friendly manner. Many groups have worked towards this- companies, recyclers, NGOs and government bodies.”

With India’s adoption of comprehensive waste management regulations in 2016, such groups have received a boost in their purpose. However, it is an uphill task, and we must yet do much work in developing countries.

How are the developed nations with a high per capita e-waste generation dealing with e-waste? Let us take a look at how the UAE is faring in tackling the E-Waste Question.

Managing E-Waste: The UAE Perspective The United Arab Emirates is one of the most developed nations in the world. The high per capita income and the easy availability of electronic devices have led to a disproportionate rise in e-waste. The E-waste Monitor 2017 quotes the e-waste generated in the UAE in 2016 as 134,000 tonnes. The average UAE citizen generates 17.2 kg of e-waste per annum. Considering the steady rise in e-waste figures since then, one can only imagine the situation in 2020.

Taking this situation into account, the UAE government has taken a number of steps towards proper disposal of e-waste. Recently, it established the Integrated Waste Management system to meet the target of diverting 75 percent of all municipal solid waste (including e-waste) away from landfills by 2021 as per National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021.

In conjunction with the Integrated Waste Management system, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and other Municipalities are promoting e-waste recycling in the Emirates by partnering with private organizations such as Enviroserve and E-Scrappy Recyclers. Dubai Industrial City recently unveiled the world’s largest recycling plant with Enviroserve, having a capacity of 39,000 tonnes of electronic waste per year. The plant is expected to become a major recycling hub for the Middle East and Northern Africa regions.

Similarly, another waste-to-energy plant and electronic waste recycling facility will soon open in Sharjah. This plant is expected to divert as much as 300,000 tons of solid waste from landfills each year.

Of course, we cannot tackle any issue without the involvement of all the stakeholders in society. E-waste management is no different. Along with the UAE government, the private and non-profit sectors are also working towards awareness regarding e-waste generation. A number of campaigns have taken place in recent years, bringing the issue to the fore.

E-Waste Collection and Disposal Campaign by Team Consistent

This Diwali, Team Consistent conducted an E-Waste Collection and Disposal Drive throughout its offices and sites across Dubai. Some of our prominent client partners- Archgroup International, Arkiplan Consulting Architects and Engineers, Loci Architecture+Design, and Al Wasl Al Jadeed Consultants– also joined in the cause. As word of the social campaign spread, even the ordinary residents of Dubai joined in to contribute to electronic waste. Similarly, the Mumbai office of Consistent also collected e-waste in its vicinity. To properly collect, recycle and dispose of the e-waste, Consistent partnered with the Dubai Municipality-approved E-Scrappy Recyclers.

“In less than two weeks, we managed to collect almost a tonne of electronic waste,” says Mr. Sagar Kulkarni. “The enthusiastic response we received from our own team, our partners, as well as the residents of Dubai, only cemented our belief that this initiative is a crucial one in today’s time.”

Read the full report in our News section!

Endnote

Thus, we require campaigns to create awareness, along with the adoption of recycling practices on a governmental, corporate as well as individual level to bring about real, lasting change.
The E-Waste Question is thus, one of organizing the e-waste management across the world, and creating a conscientious awareness among the people to make recycling a part of everyday life.
If all stakeholders work together, is it so difficult to imagine that one day we will wake up to a ‘zero e-waste’ world?
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