E-waste has become a major concern across the world. Electronic equipment contains various chemicals such as lead, silicon, tin, cadmium, mercury, zinc, etc. Which is polluting the nature in many ways. Due to which human body is being harmed in many ways. The risk of various diseases is also increasing. Pregnant mothers and children are especially affected by these chemical screens.
The large amount of e-waste worldwide has become a new cause for concern among environmental activists in recent years. Global e-waste management international organization Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum said that a total of 5.3 billion mobile phones will become e-waste this year. None of which can be reused or recycled.
WEEE has also said that the mountain waste generated from electronic products like washing machines, tablet computers and GPS devices will increase to 74 million tons by 2030, 8 years from today.
The WEEE Forum is trying to estimate this number of large number of devices that end up as e-waste by analyzing various data. Various studies have revealed that many mobile phone owners keep their old devices to themselves. Instead of recycling, day after day they leave the mobile with themselves.
WEEE Director General Pascal Leroy said, “People are slowly realizing that even seemingly insignificant things have considerable value. And they’re realizing these useless things can simultaneously lead to huge events.”
According to an international news media, it is estimated that there are 16 billion mobile phones in the hands of people worldwide. And of this, one-third of the devices owned by European citizens are left unused. Needless to say, the resulting problem is serious.
Precious metals are wasted in the manufacture of electronic equipment, which has a significantly worse impact on the environment. Cobalt metal used in making copper for electronic cables also comes from mining. Precious metals are lost as waste if the devices are not recycled or if there is no initiative to recover the precious metals from the devices.
