Introduction
Today the world is grappling with several ecological crisis; the effects of Global warming, the degradation of the Tropical Rainforests in South America, the environmental pollution of Oil Sands development in the Canadian Boreal, and the ecological threats from Nuclear accidents exemplified by the recent Fukushima incident. However, the least talked about is Waste management, particularly the problems of Electronic waste, often referred to as e-waste. Not only is the e-waste crisis a massive problem in most developed economies, but it is also quickly becoming a global crisis affecting even to a greater extent the least technologically advanced nations. It is, therefore, a problem that needs redress with the absolute urgency it deserves (The Fifth Estate, 2016). However, like most other crisis affecting the world, to stop the adverse effects of e-wastes, it is imperative to not only gain a better understanding of the problem and issues driving it but also to know how to make a difference and help solve the problem. This paper, therefore, looks at the question of e-waste around us, and how technology can address this issue. In this perspective, the discussion focuses on the imperativeness, background information, and sustainability of the e-waste recycling before exploring the future pathway for the technology.
What is E-waste?
In its basic connotation, e-waste (sometimes e-scrap or waste electrical) refers to all forms of wastes from discarded, broken, or obsolete electronics whether sold, discarded by the owner, or donated. Include such materials as mobile phones, computers, radio sets, electronic office equipment, and refrigerators just to name but a few (MacGibbon & Zwimpfer, 2006). The need to deal with e-waste is gaining significant momentum because of two fundamental factors; first, the amount of e-waste is increasing, and second the toxic materials contained in e-wastes makes them such a problem. However, the latter factor is causing such a fuss (Consumer New Zealand (NZ), 2016). According to MacGibbon and Zwimpfer (2006), well over 1000 different materials including heavy metals, gaseous emissions, plastics, chlorinated solvents, PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to make the electronic products and their parts – circuit boards, semiconductor chips, and display panels. For example, a single Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display can contain between four and eight pounds of lead while big screen television sets can contain much more than that. While the flat panel TVs provides less of lead, they are heavy users of mercury lamps. The health and safety impacts of some of these metals are well known. Exposure to high levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury have been associated with adverse effects on the health of humans as well as animals (wild and domestic). For example, lead exposure causes neurobehavioral effects in humans and brain damage especially in children, cadmium bio-accumulates in the human body causing chronic poisoning and damage to kidney while mercury in even small doses can damage the kidneys and the brain and cause sensory and neurological impairments. Moreover, BFRs are increasing being associated with abnormal hormonal functions critical for healthy human development (MacGibbon & Zwimpfer, 2006)
The E-waste Problem
Despite, the health and environmental effects of e-waste, the amount of electronic products discarded in the world has skyrocketed in the recent past. While predictions differ, Greenpeace International New Zealand (n.d.), documents that between 20-50 million tons of e-wastes pile up every year. This amount of wastes further accounts for 5% of the global municipal solid wastes nearly the same as the total amount of plastic packaging worldwide, only that e-wastes are much more hazardous (Greenpeace International New Zealand, n.d.). Not only does the developed economies generate e-waste (3,140,000 tons of e-waste from America for instance), Asia discards about 12 million tons every year, and European e-waste is increasing at rates between 3-5% a year, almost three times than the total global waste stream (Greenpeace International New Zealand, n.d.). The biggest problem with e-waste is that most of these products are designed for dump; Firstly, they become obsolete rather quickly, secondly, they have short life spans, thirdly, most of them are often expensive to repair, and parts of a majority of them are difficult to find (Gilpin, 2014). Moreover, most of the consumer-grade –products are cheaper to replace than to fix even if one finds a technician to fix them. Because most of the e-products are designed using several hazardous materials, recycling of these products is problematic, expensive, and never completely safe. The high rate of technology turnover that makes the old working e-gadgets undesirable further compounds these problems. Compounded these factors contribute to the increasing amounts of e-wastes plaguing the world now.
The E-waste Problem in New Zealand
In New Zealand, for example, like in most countries, high-quality electronics sourced from countries outside New Zealand satisfy much of the growing demand for electronics of New Zealanders adding to the already increasing e-waste problem in the country. As at July 2006, studies show that the average New Zealand household has two or more TV sets and more than one computer representing about seven million electronic devices and their eventual disposal like in most other countries poses a potential threat to their health and environment (MacGibbon & Zwimpfer, 2006). Combine this with the computers outside homes and the e-waste challenge in New Zealand rises to 16 million e-devices with much more expected to reach their end of life sooner. While most of the new sets of TV designs and computer products currently in the New Zealand markets are less toxic, a few are benign and will have to be disposed of when they too reach end-of-life The Fifth Estate, 2016) (See Table 1). This fact is a challenge and a threat that New Zealanders cannot ignore but like most developed countries, the track record of New Zealand in minimizing waste is not satisfactory, and the amount of e-waste the country generate continues to grow (Greenpeace International New Zealand, n.d.; MacGibbon & Zwimpfer, 2006). Unlike, other sectors such as paper, oil, tires, glass, and paint amongst others like steel management, the focus of New Zealand on solutions for e-waste has not been good enough (Fairfax New Zealand Limited, 2014). However, development in the technological and policy front can help control. Mitigate, and reduce the problems of E-wastes.
Source International Data Corporation (IDC) as cited in (MacGibbon & Zwimpfer, 2006)
Dealing with E-waste
In the recent years, electronic wastes have become more of a global issue than the problem of developed nations with about 70-80% of electronics shipped to landfills in developing parts of the world where regulatory policies are weak or non-existent (Parry, 2015). Dealing with this matter has been problematic because most people narrowly view e-waste as a by-product of consumption overlooking the key issues in the life cycle of the products such as resource extraction and manufacturing that are essential elements of the dealing-with-e-waste equation (Gilpin, 2014). Moreover, more severe technologies and policy proposals to reduce e-scrap focus on recycling instead of addressing how electronics are manufactured in the first place. In this perspective, some of the best ways to deal with e-scraps would include designing and producing electronic gadgets that are not only durable and repairable but also easily recyclable. This recovery options will also increase the likelihood of conserving both the energy and the materials embodied in the products thus ensuring longer use of the product for more efficient component and materials recovery. However, several technological innovations are increasing the efficiency of e-waste recycling processes thus amping up the smart methods of dealing with the e-waste. One such technology is the ECS Refining Technology that uses an e-waste recycling process that adheres strictly to the set Environmental Policy Frameworks such as the provisions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Bhutta, Omar, & Yang, 2011).
The knowledge of recycling as employed by ECS Technology besides being a way of avoiding resource depletion ensures that all the e-equipment are disposed of properly and by the set federal and territorial principles regulating the same. While e-waste recycling technology is not new, earlier recycling technologies failed due to operational costs, inefficiency, the presence of hazardous materials that made the undertaking problematic, and the inability to recycle e-wastes in an environmentally sound manner. ECS e-waste Recycling technology has been able to overcome some of these challenges thus making it one of the few available modern technological outfits to recycle e-wastes with an improved level of efficiency. The ECS Technologies employs technologies in use such as metal-separating machinery and optical sensors in its e-waste recycling activities to make sure that nothing goes to waste or leaks to the environment (ECS Refining, 2012).
In dealing with e-wastes, ECS Technologies specializes in the end-of-life e-gadget recycling whereby obsolete electronics are dismantled and separated into individual, clean, and reusable component commodities by the recycling process. Unlike most e-recyclers, the recycling technology employed by ECS Technologies are not only able to efficiently handle large volumes of e-waste using automated equipment and cutting-edge technology, but its advanced recycling facilities are capable of maximizing material recovery. ECS e-recycling technology is also able to eliminate the harmful compounds in the waste thus safeguarding the both the workers and the surrounding environment. The recycling technology used here occurs in a series of steps to optimize the material recovery process. The First process in the long chain of recycling is shredding that is preceded pre-picking. These initial stages follow the principle of G.I.G.O (Garbage In, Garbage Out). G.I.G.O ensures that non-conforming materials do not making to the processing line as they could either contaminate the product outputs or worse disrupt the recycling process (ECS Refining, 2012). Pre-picking is a labor intensive process and involves the removal of materials that cannot be shredded from the line. Shredding takes place after pre-picking and requires the cutting of the wastes into smaller sizes that are optimal for separation. The separation process segregates the e-wastes into various types using technologies such as magnetic separation, optical identification, and eddy currents (ECS Refining, 2012). This process is the most critical component of the ECS e-waste recycle technology. It comprises of two parts; the first part divides the wastes into plastics and metals and the second part separates the metal stream further into different varieties. The final part is the processing of the materials into clean commodities of varying grades and types of plastics, metals (steel, brass, aluminum, etc.), and CRT glass which are sold to manufacturers.
It is apparent that Recycling Technology as employed by ECS Refining gives electronic wastes new life and a supply of a pure product free from contamination to producers. Compared to other methods of handling e-wastes (landfilling, acid bath, incineration, and Triple R [repair, reuse, and resale]), recycling is perhaps the most sustainable technology. First, most recycling technologies like the ECS Refining are both R Certified and e-Steward. They are also set up in compliance with the regulatory guidelines of relevant oversight authorities, unlike Triple R, which only shifts the utility of a product from one use to another. However, given that most e-wastes contain hazardous materials, their Triple R capacity are similarly remote. Secondly, properly undertaken recycling process reduces the chances of environmental pollution. For instance, the e-waste recycling conducted under the ECS Refining Technology contains all the hazardous materials from finding their way into the environment. Socially, this means that workers are adequately covered and protected from the harmful effects of these substances as previously indicated. On the other hand, landfilling is not an environmentally friendly method for disposing of e-materials as hazardous materials can leak into the soil and the surrounding groundwater. Economically, recycling, unlike incineration where wastes are ridded through combustion at specially designed incinerators, ensures the recovery of all materials used in the manufacture of a product. Recovery of resources is one of the underlying principles of sustainability. This recovery also means that the economic worth of the materials can be recovered through the sale of the products.
As pointed above electronic wastes contains precious metals including gold, platinum, silver, and palladium, as well as toxic elements like mercury, lead, beryllium, and cadmium. Therefore, adequate and responsible end-of-life management of these substances is imperative not only to recover the valuable minerals but also to manage their hazardous and toxic components correctly (Zerowaste New Zealand, 2012). Recycling offers the most viable option for recovering the precious metals, reduces human and environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of electronics from raw materials, and ensures proper handling of the toxic substances. Despite these benefits of recycling, the recycling rate of e-wastes is relatively minimal due to lack of functional recycling and regulatory infrastructure. In New Zealand, the lack of a national regulation has significantly hindered the recycling rates of e-wastes (Zerowaste New Zealand, 2012). Because of these, there have been low collection volumes of e-materials as appropriate laws are lacking to make collection convenient and establish collection goals (Salter, 2015). Lack of landfill bans has also crippled e-waste recycle levels leading to shipping of the wastes overseas for end-processing and recovery of the precious metals. These shortcomings, however, offer a pathway for future development of recycling technology and capacity in New Zealand.
Therefore, to increase e-waste recycling technology and capabilities in New Zealand, national policy regulations are vital in developing the necessary inter-sectoral recycling infrastructure (Zerowaste New Zealand, 2012). The rules will also serve to set mandatory recycling targets and establish support services, financing and enforcement mechanisms for the collection and recycling of electronic wastes. Moreover, there is a future need for local authorities to increase public awareness among the New Zealanders of the benefits of recycling. The future development of recycling technology also relies on the provision and setting up of the means for consumers to conveniently bring electronic gadgets at collection points (Salter, 2015). Another important future development in e-waste recycling is the implementation of promising e-waste end-processing methods such as the hydrometallurgical processing methods as a New Zealand domestic solution to e-waste recycling.
Conclusion
E- Waste is an increasing global problem that needs a solution because of its potential to cause significant human and environmental damage because of the toxic materials they contain. While several technologies can handle properly and dispose of these materials, recycling offers the most viable option. However, despite the benefits of substance recovery from e-wastes, it's recycling in New Zealand is limited due to factors such as insufficient collection, illegal exportation of the wastes to other countries, and lack of national or policy mandating e-waste recycling. This discussion has therefore highlighted the problem of e-wastes, how to deal with the problem and possible technological initiatives that can be adopted to help address the matter.
References
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