Electronic Waste
Electronic wastes comprises the dispose of electronic appliances including mobile phones, computers, microwaves and televisions. Presently, there are no efficient mechanisms for disposing these wastes, leading to poor disposal or reusing and recycling (Rao, 2014).
The rapid development in technology is a leading cause for electronic waste. Technology is growing at a very fast pace, and newer products are being churned day in day out. The entry of new products makes the present one obsolete, thus the need to be replaced. The world is developing as a whole, and this creates the demand for new resources. However, the supply is larger than the demand, creating surplus and wastage in some cases. Moreover, most appliances, especially electronics, have short life spans and need to be replaced once they wear out. Since the initial demand for these goods was high, they are now available in large quantities, creating a problem during disposal. Electronic waste is dangerous, mainly due to the components of the electronic devices. Poor disposal of e-waste is harmful to the environment. Such wastes produce contaminated leachates that pollute the groundwater. Sludge and acids from motherboards and chips add acidity to the soil. Burning of these components produce toxic gases and fumes, causing air pollution (Rao, 2014). Poor disposal of e-waste is also harmful to the human body. Lead is present in most of electronic devices since it’s used for soldering.
Lead is harmful to the peripheral and central nervous systems and can cause kidney damage. It also affects children brain development. Mercury is used in switches and relays and poor handling of mercury may lead to brain damage, respiratory disorder and skin problems (Rao, 2014).It is imperative that we learn how to manage electronic waste. Phones and computers should not be dumped into landfills; they can be delivered to recycling organizations all over the world. We should also embrace recycling and green engineering.
References
Rao, N. (2014). Environmental Impact of Uncontrolled Disposal of E-Wastes. International Journal Of Chemtech Research, …
