E-Waste - A Threat to the Environment

E-waste is any electronic product or item that has reached the end of its life cycle and contains electronic components.

- Dr. P. Subramanyachary Professor, Mohan Babu University Tirupati

Examples include old CRT tube televisions. LCD _(Liquid Crystal Display) plasma televisions. LCD monitors, smart displays, tablets, laptops with LCD monitors, laptops, tablets, computers, computer monitors, printers, etc. E-waste can come in various forms, such as circuit boards, containing precious metals such as silver, tin, gold, palladium and copper. Once in the environment, toxic pollutants from e-waste or those produced by inappropriate recycling operations can travel considerable distances from the point of contamination, exposing people in remote areas to substances that are harmful to health. Used electronics intended for reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse human health effects and environmental pollution. Another way e-waste affects humans is through air pollution. Often, electronics shipped to other countries end up incinerated. This process releases harmful chemicals and pollutants into the air.

Asia accounts for almost half of the world’s e-waste, with most of it produced in China — the world’s largest producer of e-waste. Asia produces far more e-waste than any other region. France was one of the top exporters of electrical and electronic waste and scrap worldwide in 2022, with over 100,000 tonnes shipped. Germany exported almost 65,000 tonnes of e-waste. According to the Digital Watch Observatory and Clean Hub, the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands and Germany are the top exporters of e-waste, often to developing countries.