The dangers of e waste

E-waste can release toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment, contaminating both underground and sriface water, negatively affecting the health of plants and crops, and being extremely harmful to huimans. E-waste can cause developmental problems, significant damage to the immune system and nervous system, and even cause cancer.

Every year, vast amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is dumped and disposed of in landfill sites around the world. This can be for many reasons, whether the fevice has brokem, been replaced, or simply forgotten about. Regardless of reason or equipment, the most important part of the process is how you dispose of it, as improper disposal of e-waste can present significant health risks and hazards.

The Definition of E-waste

According to the World Health Organisation, e-waste is the fastest growing solid waste stream in the world. It encompasses anything with an electronic component. Examples of e-waste include plugs, TV’s, fridges, and even e-cigarettes. All these different items fall under the umbrella of e-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).  

As society continues to move towards a more digital landscape, there is a serious risk that the amount of e-waste produced will grow exponentially.  Furthermore, decisions such as Microsoft ending free support for Windows 10 show a worrying trend of hardware becoming obsolete purely due to software issues, resulting in completely avoidable hardware redundancy. 

You may be aware of the environmental problems with e-waste, but the implications it can have on personal health are just as concerning. 

How Could an Old Computer Possibly Hurt Me?

Now, although your e-waste is unlikely to hurt you while sitting in a cupboard at home, the dangers it represents still exist. E-waste can cause serious harm if it is disposed of inappropriately or handled unsafely.  There is a wide variety of materials within all e-waste, from calculators to irons. A worrying amount of these materials, such as glass, can take over 1 million years to decompose. 

This is just a part of the issue, however. As well as the major risk of large amounts of e-waste being strewn across the planet for what might as well be forever, it is the risk of the harmful chemicals within that can directly affect you.  

Toxic chemicals like mercury and lead can cause many health effects from vomiting to heavy metal poisoning. Research has found hexavalent chromium, which is commonly found in metals, causes cancer by eliciting DNA damage in otherwise healthy cells. Once e-waste ends up in a landfill, it is incredibly likely to eventually begin leaking toxic chemicals, affecting everything in the surrounding area, including the air, water, and soil. 

 Those most heavily affected by e-waste in landfills are the people who work or live around them, but with toxic chemicals leaking into the environment, this becomes a concern for everyone. This outcome of chemical and material leakage becomes even more likely when the e-waste is subject to unsound and incorrect practices.  

Unfortunately, a combination of the value e-waste and the fact that many large e-waste landfills sites are often found in third-world countries, means that unsafe practice can  be the norm. An example of this can be found in Ghana’s capital city, Agbogbloshie. We recently assisted in a study regarding ethical donations to Ghana that you can read more about here.

E-waste Recycling

Try as you might, you will generate e-waste. When you do, it is vital that you take the correct, necessary steps.  

Firstly, identify the condition of the equipment you are dealing with. Some equipment will also have manufacturer buyback programs in which they will take your old equipment and deal with it accordingly. If this is not an option, then you can either donate your surplus equipment for reuse, or you can search for e-waste recycling near you. 

If you are looking for either of these options, then Techbuyer’s Resource Recovery team has you covered. The team will take in your excess equipment, assess its condition, and then either refurbish for resale, donate to one of our charity partners, or harvest the hardware for parts and materials that can either be ethically recycled, or reused in other equipment to extend its lifecycle. 

 No matter the condition of what you provide, one thing is for sure: This hardware will not go to landfill, thanks to our zero-to-landfill policy. To make a meaningful difference in e-waste production and mitigate the hazards it can cause, we need to collectively make a concerted effort in responsible disposal of hardware.