Technology has evolved at a fast pace in the last few years. We could hardly imagine a life sans GPS maps, laptops, smart devices, and our smartphones. In 2021, about 7.1 billion mobile phone users worldwide have been recorded. By 2022, this is expected to go up to 7.26 billion. In 2025, the number is likely to touch 7.49 billion. Do you realize the amount of e-waste the nation generates every year in the form of discarded electronic items? As a common man, you don’t! But there are environmental activists, governments, the local authorities, and e-waste management companies in India like Namo E-waste that are constantly worried about the harmful effects of the large amount of e-waste that we generate sub-consciously. They are constantly looking for ways to minimize the generation of e-waste or ways to recycle and reuse them so that their hazardous impact can be reduced to a great extent. They are trying to get plastics and precious metals extracted from the discarded mobile phones through mobile recycling to reuse and minimize mining for fresh materials.
People consider recycling as the only option to minimize the generation of e-waste. Yes, recycling is one of the ways to do so but we can take small steps instead to help contribute to the reduction of e-waste production in the country. Also, because of low rates of recycling, people do not come forward to share their old electronic items. They must be made aware of the detrimental effects of e-waste on their health and the environment, in the long run, to motivate them to share their old end-of-shelf-life electronic items for recycling. For now, we can focus on easy to practice, simple ways to reduce e-waste.
Before taking a look at the steps, it is important to understand these:
- The aim of reducing e-waste isn’t only about minimizing the environmental risks, it is a lot more.
- Reducing e-waste aids in conserving resources.
- Electronic waste recycling plants in India that recycle electronic parts derived from e-waste require considerably lower energy consumption than the ones that create new items.
- Consumers can help in bringing down the selling cost of fresh electronic goods by promoting the use of recycled parts in making new electronic devices.
- Using a recycled part is a more cost effective proposition for electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) manufacturers than seeking the new metals extracted through mining. They are also mandated to follow Extended Producers responsibility EPR guidelines.
- Remember the cost of manufacturing a fresh piece of electronic device is lessened if manufacturers can easily access from the recycling industry the spare parts they require.
- The most basic thing that a person can do to minimize e-waste generation is to create awareness about recycling.
- Now is the right time to take that next step and share your knowledge about e-waste with those who may not know about the health hazards that e-waste poses.
- Keep tabs on people in your circle who are about to buy a new electronic device. They may also have plans to dispose of their old devices. Reach out to them. Tell them about the idea of recycling it with a formal and authorised recycler like Namo E-waste.
- Knowing about the detrimental effects of hoarding old electronic devices is also important. This will encourage people to act swiftly and share them with formal e-waste recyclers.
- Tell people who appreciate recycling but are clueless about the ways to be a part of it, about recycling collection centers of Namo E-waste. They can easily initiate a pick up request by just calling or clicking on the request forms.
- Coming years will further witness an explosion in the use of new electronic devices hence a rise in the pile of discarded models. We must be prepared with a plan of action to deal with the new set of e-waste.
The following simple to exercise strategies must be followed by all to help clean up the major sources of e-waste.
- Look at buying products that have a much longer shelf-life so that you don’t have to replace it early.
- Repair and reuse as frequently as possible. Try to get the electronic devices that have some life left, repaired, before buying a new one. If the device cannot be repaired, send it for recycling.
- Try to learn about the spare parts of your electronics. What are they made of and how harmful they can be after the use! The more knowledge you gain the more inclined you will be to buy items that are not harmful to your own health and the environment.
- Check the environmentally friendly label on the electronic device you are out to purchase. If it is labelled Energy Star it is good to buy as it is energy efficient. You can check for more such labels.
- Minimize the number of smart devices you own. Try and buy a multi-purpose device.
- No matter how big or small your electronic item is, it’s important to dispose of your e-waste in a formal manner.
- Learn more about security issues and the data deleting methods employed by e-waste recycling companies in India like Namo E-waste. They scrub all electronic devices’ data clean before sending it for recycling. There is no room left for cyber thieves to extract the information. Educate others who are hesitant to share their devices because of the data saved in it, about the same. This will compel more people to come forward and recycle their electronic devices.
- Maintenance of your electronic devices is important, it increases their shelf life. Small moves assist in keeping what you own working for a longer time. Clean your smart devices like computers and laptops etc. frequently. Do not overcharge your battery and enhance its overall lifespan.
