Managing E-waste by Using Refurbished Products

With the rapid increase in urban culture, India is facing huge challenges in e-waste management. According to government stats, almost 370 million people are living in over 8000 towns and cities and they generate almost 62 million tonnes of public solid waste every year. Only 43 million of waste is collected, 12 million tonnes is treated and the rest of it is dumped in landfill sites. Most of the experts believe that India is following a defective system of disposing and managing e-waste.

To overcome these challenges and to counteract the negative impacts of landfill waste on the environment, the e-waste management industry is rethinking strategies and revamping waste handling and disposal systems for superior efficiency and enhanced environmental protection.

Manufacturing Electronics Generates Carbon Footprint

One thing that can save the world from e-waste is the refurbished electronic items. According to reports, major mobile manufacturing generates 80 per cent of the carbon dioxide which is very harmful for human beings.  Therefore, major electronic companies are responsible for dumping harmful waste in our environment. Hence the need for refurbished electronic items is increasing as it will allow already manufactured parts to be used in the new device which will help to decrease carbon footprints.

As the major companies keep on launching the latest devices every year the amount of carbon dioxide grows up to 4 per cent. Instead of throwing the old devices we should learn how to handle e-waste or it will lead to an increased misbalance in the environment.

Recycling is not the Correct Option for Managing E-waste

Only 5 per cent of the e-waste is recycled and the rest of the devices are left with the dealer of scraps who are more interested in taking out those valuable parts instead of taking care of the environment.

India is a developing country and the majority of the population are poor therefore, they resell those devices which they no longer need and the dealers extract the valuables from them. Well, the process of extracting minerals is quite dangerous from these items. Many chemical wastes used to extract minerals from the electronic devices are dumped inappropriately in the ground which leads to ecological imbalance. Hence, recycling is not the correct option for managing e-waste.

Refurbished vs. Recycling

Refurbishing means that components which are in working condition are reused in new products and in recycling the good the parts are extracted and reused therefore, refurbished goods are better for the environment. Even the best and safest process in recycling generates waste because it is impossible to recycle everything.

One thing that gives refurbishing and edge over recycling is that old parts can be placed in the latest products without compromising the quality of the product. Hence, there will be no difference in the working of that device.

Tips for Managing E-waste on Individual Level

• Buy less – One of the biggest causes of e-waste is that we buy a lot of useless electronic devices, therefore, before buying we need to stop and think what do we need this or not?
• Organize what you have – Organising the electronic items can be very helpful as it will protect you from purchasing duplicate products.
• Give away or donate your e-waste – Giving away things that you don't need any more is a great way to manage your electronic waste.
• Take them back to the store – Most of the stores now have buy-back offers so, whenever you wish to change your device simply take it back to the store.
• Learn about your local recycling options – Checkout the local recyclers around you who can help you in managing your e-waste
• Live in the cloud – There is no need of buying heavy servers to store data, you can use cloud technology to store and manage your data.
• Educate yourself, and be a little afraid – All the electronic items have some toxic minerals which is harmful for humans so, it is important to educate yourself and your family about it.

Conclusion

The manufacturers of electronic items are very much responsible for ecological misbalance so, the already manufactured items from the devices should be used in new products. The demand for new consumer products with the latest features are increasing in Indian market therefore, manufacturers should use their resources well as there are only limited resources.

New smartphones are dumped into the Indian market every year and on an average, a person changes its phone is every two years which means the electronics market will continue to grow. In India, where people love to use new and innovative technology, the demand will grow rapidly.

There are around 3 billion people are using smartphones around the world and more than 300 million people are from India because of this, millions of tonnes of e-waste will be generated and harm our environment if we keep on dumping our electronic devices like this. The only way to change the future is by refurbishing e-wastes.

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