One of the most significant issues facing the world, though rarely discussed, is the problem of electronic waste. All types of e-waste from consumers and businesses, including laptops, computers, smartphones and TVs, end up in landfills.
Even though technology is advanced, the methods used to recycle electronics at the end of their life cycles are not nearly as effective as they could be.
The Issue of E-Waste in 2023
Electronic devices have become indispensable in modern society, but when it is time to upgrade to newer, slimmer, more high-tech gadgets, they head straight to the garbage. According to the NRDC, humans generated 59 million tons of e-waste in 2019.
Modern devices that end up sitting in landfills pollute soil in the surrounding environment, lower the outdoor air quality in the region and harm animal populations nearby.
Additionally, the materials used to make devices work so well – like lead, mercury and cadmium – go to waste and seep into the ground, potentially contaminating drinking water for wildlife and humans.
One report states that in 2020, the world tossed around $57 billion worth of gold, silver and copper found in e-waste. The e-waste problem harms the environment and also costs billions of dollars.
Why the Global E-Waste Problem Is Worsening
One issue contributing to the worsening e-waste problem is planned obsolescence by major tech companies selling these devices.
Planned obsolescence involves companies designing devices that will eventually stop working as well or, in some cases, stop working altogether. This keeps the business running as usual, forcing consumers and organizations to buy new electronic devices and increasing company revenues.
Another issue making the e-waste issue worse is wish-cycling. Wish-cycling is the idea that someone can toss waste into a recycling bin with the “hope” that it will be recycled, even if there’s little evidence to show it will be recycled properly.
People will try to recycle old electronics the same way as other household items, but this is ineffective, and e-waste is not recycled appropriately. A major barrier to proper e-waste recycling is a lack of general awareness and education.
Potential Tech-Driven Solutions to the E-Waste Issue
Educating the public about proper recycling and the growing issue of e-waste is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. People can sell their old tech to a refurbishing company or give it to someone in need, but there are other options.
Smart E-Waste Management
One potential solution to the world’s e-waste problem is smart e-waste management. These solutions leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to sort through waste more efficiently and effectively.
These solutions also reduce human error and can work 24/7 without needing breaks. After the sorting stage, IoT-based monitoring systems can determine the most efficient routes vehicles can take to transport anything gathered in the recycling process.
E-Waste Microfactories
Another potential solution to e-waste recycling is a project led by Veena Sahajwalla, a professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Sahajwalla has worked on a new concept called “microfactories,” small recycling facilities that transform e-waste into reusable materials, such as filaments for 3D printing.
It’s even possible to incorporate renewable energy sources into microfactories in the future so they run more efficiently than their fossil fuel-reliant counterparts.
Better Chemical Processing
Recovering precious metals and other valuable resources from end-of-life e-waste is another tech-driven solution that may mitigate the effects of e-waste on the environment. According to the European Commission, researchers identified new ways to extract materials from e-waste without excessive heat.
The researchers created a hydrometallurgical method – using chemicals combined with liquids – to recover resources from e-waste. This method is preferred because heat-based processes produce harmful gases and dust, are expensive and drive up energy consumption. Recyclers can use this new process to recover relatively pure materials from e-waste and prevent them from entering landfills and harming the environment.
Finding Tech-Driven Solutions to E-Waste
Solving the e-waste problem cannot happen overnight, and the potential solutions described above might not be enough. Implementing various tech-driven e-waste recycling solutions is a positive step, but it will take more than that to solve the issue.
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