Question

The United States disposes of more than 384 million units of eWaste yearly and currently recycles less than 20% (Electronics TakeBack Coalition, n.d.). Reports predict that eWaste will weigh as much as 200 Empire State Buildings by 2017. Solving the Waste Problem (StEP) predicts that eWaste will grow by a third in the next five years with the United States and China being the biggest contributors.

Research the web and find examples of organizations or schools around the country that are responsibly tackling the eWaste problem with sustainable MIS disposal.

Answer 1

Some organizations are as follows-

1. In India E-Parisaraa project to manage e-waste without damaging environment supported by the Indo-German e-waste initiative. It is started in Bangalore city, and most software firms have signed agreement with E-Parisaraa to collect their e-waste.
2. Switzerland’s Swiss e-waste management system is the most successful e-waste management system.
3. Electronic Take Back Coalition, an environmental group- they recycle the old electronics.
4. Hewlett- Packard’s (HP’s) Product Take Back Operations, which recycles more electronics than any company operating in U.S., according to U.S.A.
5. Derek Fray, a professor of materials chemistry at University of Cambridge’s (UK), he is also developing technologies for recycling printed circuit boards used in electronics.
6. Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Environmental Science and Engineering, are investing how to improve the efficiencies of electronic items.
7. Shanghai Xin Jinqiao Industrial Waste Management Co., Limited says that “we will produce large-scale prototypes using a high-quality compression machine in near future”.
8. Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, they use pyrolysis to produce a fuel oil from waste and succeeded in removing almost all the hazardous toxic components, it suitable for use by the petro chemical industry.
9. Non-profit Organization Electronics Take Back Coalition chairman said, “ engineering focused on designing electronic products for recyclability and reduce their use of toxic materials should solve many of the problems currently associated with e-waste”.
10. USA Environmental Protection Agency

References-

1. Balde, C.P., Forti V., Kuehr, R., Stegmann,P. : The Global E-Wate Monitor- 2017, United Nations University (UNU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) & International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Bonn/Geneva/Vienna.
2. Pandve HT. E-Waste Management in India: An Emerging Environmental and Health Issue. Indian Joccup Environ Med. 2007; 11:116
3. M.Khurrum S. Bhutta et al. “Electronic Waste : A Growing Concern in today’s Environment” April5, 2011.
4. Mianqiang Xue, Guoqing Yan, Jia Li, and Zhenming Xu. Electrostatic Separation for Recycling Conductors, Semiconductors and Non- conductors from Electronic Waste. Environmental Science and Technology 2012, 46 (19), 10556-10563. DOI: 10.1021/ES301830V.