Recycling e-waste has numerous environmental advantages. Electronic waste (E-Waste) refers to any electronic equipment that has been thrown because it is broken, undesired, nearing the end of its useful life, or is no longer in use.
In today’s modern age, e-waste does not always refer to broken or outmoded devices that no longer function. Even in great condition, technological improvements have turned certain electronic equipment into e-waste. Consider the VCRs that sat around for years after DVD players were introduced. When manufacturers believe they can improve a product, older versions may become electronic garbage.
Recycling can provide a great amount of good. It not only improves the environment but also protects communities from the health risks posed by these pollutants. Some of the environmental benefits of e-waste recycling are listed below:
1. Reduced extraction of virgin resources
The majority of electronic components comprise minerals and metallic elements that must be extracted from various mining regions across the world. The constant exploitation of resources is rapidly depleting them and severely impacting the ecosystem.
Illegal mining is on the rise, and the consequences for the region’s overall well-being are not favorable. When electronic components such as circuit boards are recycled, an impressive number of these elements such as tin, gold, and silver are extracted from e-waste.
2. Offers environmentally friendly resources to manufacturers
Because e-waste does not disintegrate easily, dumping these metallic materials rather than reusing them merely adds to bio-hazards to the environment and humans. Proper e-waste recycling ensures that manufacturers have a sustainable source of metals and plastic materials to create new devices. Hard drives, for example, can be turned into aluminum ingots for use by automobile makers. As a result, you can help to prevent resource depletion and e-waste pollution in the environment.
3. Avoid the use of landfills
The more e-waste that is not properly recycled, the higher the need for landfills for disposal. One of the advantages of recycling electronic waste is that it reduces landfills, which are harmful to the environment, particularly bodies of water. When you entrust your e-waste to certified recyclers, you may be confident that due care is taken to reuse materials that can be reused and recycled.
4. Protect Waterbodies from Toxic Waste Poisoning
Toxic chemicals released by landfills into groundwater find their way to surrounding wells and freshwater bodies. People and animals who drink this water will soon become ill from chemical poisoning. E-waste recycling keeps a significant amount of these harmful substances from leaking into bodies of water, keeping the water clean and safe. One of the advantages of recycling electrical waste is that it keeps water pure.
5. Conserve land and energy
Electronic recycling can help to reduce continual mining while also saving energy and avoiding land waste. We cannot afford to waste energy, therefore conserving it is a way of saying thank you to Mother Nature for this wonderful gift, and it is one of the advantages of recycling electronic waste.
Conclusion
The advantages of recycling electronic waste are numerous, and the environmental impact is enormous. It is impossible to deny that proper recycling is something that every organization must embrace. However, when informal recyclers take over e-waste recycling, the environment and people who work in those areas suffer. Statistics regarding people suffering from the impacts of improperly recycled and disposed of e-waste can be found in cases of poisoning, skin diseases, and neurological issues.
