TV Waste and Energy Wasting
TV is a family of consumer electronics used in a normal daily life in households and corporates. The significance of these consumer electronics in various daily use are in kitchen households, communications, house cleaning and schooling activities as well as in entertainment industry. Mobile phones has revolutionist the communications in the present day while computers and Televisions makes it easier for online studies and studying materials and local and global news accessibility respectively. These are benefits of these electronics derived by human beings in their daily life. All these electronic devices consumes energy in all forms in these daily activities.
The mentioned consumer electronics are replaced day in day out due either from breakdown, system slow down or because of new models coming into the market. These gadgets have come into the market in large quantity that has led to easy accessibility and in lower costs, this phenomena has encourage disposal at the slightest inconvenient to the user. These disposals of electronic devices generates large quantities of waste, which keeps increasing rapidly in the last decades because of consumption and production technology.
(Sivakumar, et al., 2011), E-waste refers to the discarded computers, televisions, cell phones, printers and the thousands of other electronic devices commonly used in offices, homes and on-the-go. Siva Kumar and colleagues states that these electronics are complicate assemblies containing dozens of compounds that are known to have adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem. Wrong disposal of these electronic in landfills including water sources at the end of their useful life creates serious health and environmental wellbeing threatening global catastrophe. The increase of the electrical waste has great impact and social impacts in day life of human being. The issue of electronic waste (E-Waste) is a world problem and the establishment of a long term solution to this menace is faced with challenging factors including the fact the society has little knowledge on the full extent of the repercussions realized from the poor disposal of e-waste. In the recent past, electronic waste (E-Waste) has raised concern about the pollutions cutting across from water, soil, information and human exploitation.
Figure 1: Majority of e-waste recycling in India is handled by the informal sector- Agbogbloshie, Ghana
(https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/06/how-can-we-solve-the-electronic-waste-problem/)
Methodology and Frameworks
(Joines, 2012) Electronic disposals has been the topic of discussions across conferences in the today as well as the past. Scholars across the globe have carried out researches on the impacts and the repercussions associated with this waste. The online books, reviewed articles and journals (peer-reviewed) from various authors was derived from the Google scholar because secondary research and establish the different dynamics with E-waste as a subject.
The main criteria of the methodology was picking on the study material that were researched towards the establishment and solidifying the findings towards the issue of electronic waste around the globe. Part of the tools and frameworks presented in the study includes a stakeholder system, a sustainable design checklist, and a SWOT sustainability matrix which are included and list of appendices
Findings
(Joines, 2012) In the journal, says that, electronic waste is not only rapidly growing as a global problem but also the fact that is as result of the end-of-life electronic devices, the same item has made the human life easy and improved from the previous years. With the benefits from these electronics, the problem arises when the devices are disposed due to their end of the useful life and are poorly disposed. Furthermore, Joines (2012), give the solution that, these electronics comprises of substances that can be of useful and economical if recycled. The computer components recycled can be used in assembling new computer products while others can be used to make metals that can be used in applications like in construction, jewelry and flatware. The elements found in these electronics are in large quantities (polyvinyl chlorides-PVC, fiberglass, lead, copper, tin, iron, aluminum, and iron),and small quantities which includes mercury, lead, nickel, cadmium and Zinc which if well recycled can be economical and valuable. (Perkins, et al., 2014) During their research they found there is still no effective technology of managing electronic waste in many parts of the world especially in developing countries as well as in India.
(Joines, 2012) Says that, the methods of e-waste disposal available in the present years can be described to be primitive at best and this ways can do away with the risk associated to the exposure to the heavy metals. (Perkins, et al., 2014) Stresses that there is inadequate study on the effects on the human health and ecology exposures to directly and indirectly during the process of waste recycling of disposals. The other problem is geographical locations around the world, E-waste recycling is unregulated and in most cases left in the hands of the informal sector. Individuals in the informal sector are not only ignorant of the significant risk associated with the disposals but also do not have access to useful technology and mechanism of managing electronic waste properly. (Bhutta, et al., 2011), (Perkins, et al., 2014) the lack of effective legal frameworks that directs the managing and handling of the electronic waste across many jurisdiction encourages inappropriate imports of aged electronic equipment from western world to developing countries and sub-Saharan Africa. (Perkins, et al., 2014)Also in countries where these legal and policy frameworks have been put in place to legislate on issues of e-waste management, they are not implemented effectively
Challenges Affecting E-Waste Management
Legislation Challenges
(Begum, 2013)The legislation frameworks in India are ill-equipped to deal with the problem of E-waste. Example, India does not have a separate law on E-waste management and as such focus on e-waste is carried out in as much manner as any other normal waste. (Vast & Singh, 2014),Furthermore, the implementation and enforcement of the law relative to e-waste is a big challenge considering the nature of the sector which is termed as disorganized. In this respect, these legislations are not effective in achieving the set legal objectives in streamlining waste management in the country.
India’s Own Generation of E-Waste
India ranks as the 5th highest producer of e-waste after the US, China, Japan, Germany generating about 1.85 million tonnes annually (Hossain et al., 2015). With the greater population in the country and their continued use of electronic devices, without proper recycling methods for devices that reach their end-of-life, the problem can only persist. India recycles only about 1.5% of its e-waste meaning the rest end up in uncontrolled landfills.
Hazardous Recycling Methods
(Needhidasan, et al., 2014)The Indian e-waste recycling sector employs primitive and in other instances hazardous recycling methods. People do not use safety gears considering that the majority of those involved do so informally and some of the methods used are illegal and dangerous. They happen to sleep, cook, and live in the same establishments where they carry out the recycling and are thus more exposed to toxins arising from the e-wastes
An overall stakeholder system map is presented in figure 2 below.
Figure 2: E-waste management stakeholder system map
References
Begum, D., 2013. Electronic waste (e-waste) management in India:. A review. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), pp. 66-57.
Bhutta, M., Omar, A. & Yang, X., 2011. EleElectronic waste:. a growing concern in today’s environment. Economics Research International,.
Joines, J., 2012. Globalization of E-waste and the consequence of development:Case study of China. Journal of Social Justice, Volume 2, pp. 1-15.
Needhidasan, S., Samuel, M. & Chidambaram, R., 2014. Electronic Waste. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, p. 36.
Needhidasan, S., Samwel, M. & Chidambaram, R., 2014. Electronic Waste-and emerging threat to the environmenmt of urban india.. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, Volume 12(1), p. 36.
Perkins, D., Drisse, M., Nxele, T. & Sly, P., 2014. E-waste:. a global hazard. Annals of global health, Volume 84(4), pp. 286-295..
Sivakumar, T., Kumar , V. & Vijayaraghavan, G., 2011. GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN E-WASTE MANAGEMENT: INDIAN SCENARIO. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology , Vol.II( Issue IV), pp. 10-15.
Vast, M. & Singh, S., 2014. Status of e-waste in India-A review.. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology,, Volume 3(10).
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/the-global-cost-of-electronic-waste/502019/
https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson01_activity1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265226585_GLOBAL_CHALLENGES_IN_E-WASTE_MANAGEMENT_INDIAN_SCENARIO/download
