This article is written against the backdrop of a recent milestone. The PC has just ramped past the 1 billionth mark as reported by a research report from Gartner. But if trends on show are an indication, this milestone is but a small step as by 2014 PC sales would have easily accelerated to 2 billion. And some say that is a conservative estimate. That’s a hurrah for human development but as we uncork the bubbly it would pay to bear in mind a small associated fact.
In the words of Gartner analyst Meike Escherich,
” Some 35 million PCs will be dumped into landfill with little or no regard for their toxic content. It will become an even more pressing issue, especially in emerging markets, as the number of retired PCs grows with the continuing expansion of the PC installed base.”
PC’s are just one component of the smorgasbord that is called e-waste. It includes discarded electronic equipment, electronic accessories, even Cds and floppies; anything and everything that runs on an electronic circuitry. And according to estimates the tonnage of e-waste generated around the world runs into millions.
Rapid technological progress is leading to faster obsolescence. From 6-7 years, the life of a simple PC has come down to 3 years on an average. And more devices like mp3 players, mobiles and portable medical equipment are adding to the list everyday. It would be a problem if all waste was just plastic, but it gets compounded further when you come to know that it contains other harmful elements like lead and arsenic. Carcinogens by another name. Of course other precious and semi-precious metals like Gold, Platinum, Silver, Copper, chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, and zinc also make up the mix.
In 1996, a study found that more than 50% of the weight of an average desktop computer was in plastics, iron and aluminum. Gold percentage was higher than found in the same weight of naturally occurring ore.
Where does all this e-garbage go?
Some are recycled but all eventually end up in landfills, the final graveyard. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 4.6 million tons of e-waste came to rest in landfills in 2000. The number should be significantly higher now. Some developed countries have recycling programs. A lot of it is exported to less developed countries like India and China where workers handle toxic components with there bare hands.
In spite of international legislation, this practice is thriving. Take the United States, the largest producer and ‘donor’ of e-waste; 50-80 percent of its e-waste takes the export route. This is helped by the fact that the U.S is not a signatory to the Basel Convention.
We, the consumer.
Technological progress is just one part of the ‘problem’. What can we as the average consumer do to minimize the waste sheet? Preventing waste is of course the first step.
1. We can donate our still usable electronic goods Donate working PCs and keep them out of the trash cans as long as possible. Here is a resource for help.
2. A working obsolete computer could be made to run on less demanding operating systems like Linux along with other open source applications. And that is a bounty for under privileged educational schools.
3. We can donate our used cell phones to women’s shelters or to the needy. Why not start a neighborhood donation program?
4. There are several companies that pick up exhausted toners and printer cartridges for reuse. Find one in your area.
5. We can find innovative uses for some of the e-wastes. For instance, CDs can have a common use as table coasters and anti-sliders under carpets. The internet is a valuable resource for many such DIY projects.
6. Sell it on eBay and make some pocket change.
These are some simple first step solutions for a growing problem. A geek said that matter cannot be destroyed but only transformed. Lets for the sake of the Earth lets delay the transformation of our e-goods into e-wastes. Einstein wouldn’t have minded.
