E-pollution

by Kavitha — December 21, 2021

Lockdowns, online meetings, online classes, and online socializing – this is the new normal in times like these when everyone is glued to screens both for work and for pleasure. The playful babble of children in schools and playgrounds has vanished and replaced by accounts on network gaming grounds, digital classrooms etc. The result is that it is common to find everyone in possession of at least one electronic device. I say ‘at least’ because it is not uncommon to see a single person flaunt an office mobile phone, an office laptop and one personal computer, personal mobile phone at the very minimum.

Is this a sign of progress or are we digging our own grave? The topic for this article is electronic waste and its dangers to society. Electronic waste or e-waste includes devices like mobile phones, computers, Televisions, and other electronic machines. After their usage, when they cease to be functional, their fate is to be dumped as trash. Some of them are recycled, while many others lay for years and years in dump yards. Remember, they are not biodegradable!!!

Well, the problem does not end there – These devices are rich sources of heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic etc which are very very hazardous in nature. They are carcinogenic (which means they can cause cancer), affect the nervous system, cardiac system, development, etc just to name a few of the ways they can affect human health. You may argue that it is dumped in a remote place far away from habitation where it can pose no direct threat to humans – think twice!!

These dump yards may not have residential areas in their vicinity, but the health hazards remain amplified. Some of these toxins get thrown into the air once these are burnt where they can spread for miles into the respiratory tract of any who breathes in this polluted air. In the soil, these toxic metals leach out where they enter the water table when it rains and can be carried for miles again into agricultural land and enter the plant tissues which are eventually consumed. They enter the rivers, lakes, and water reservoirs from where every drop of water would carry these dangers to the unsuspecting person who gulps it up.

More than 48 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated every year and if it continues at the same rate, very soon this digitally obsessed world would become uninhabitable. What is the solution then? While experts suggest many, for commoners like us, I would recommend the following simple and doable tips:
1. Minimise the need for devices – Think before having one gadget for personal use, one as back up, one for social media, one for other purposes etc. You may have the means for possessing many, but is there a real need? Think before you buy and minimize the e-waste burden.
2. Recycle – What no longer captures your fancy need not be dumped. It could be passed on to another person who needs it be it within your family, or your maid, driver, cook or any other person who cannot afford to buy another. You can use your father’s spare phone instead of insisting on a brand new one just to show it off.
3. Trash it at appropriate places – When a device no longer is useful and you do not know what to do with it, instead of dumping it along with other waste, take some time off to look up for local organisations who do responsible electronic waste management and hand it over to them.
In short, what I am emphasizing upon is what is called the 3 R’s of waste management
Reduce (the amount of waste generated by unwanted possession and proper careful usage)
Reuse (Using gadgets or parts of them which have usability remaining)
Recycle (use of trashed devices as resources)
Let us take an oath to be a more responsible person on this planet by following these principles. Let us join hands to save our Mother Earth, preserve our nature and stay safe and healthy.