E-waste recycling is a set of steps that involves cutting the e-waste into tiny pieces and extracting valuable materials. However, there are current problems in the e-waste industry making the development of large-scale processes difficult. This article looks into what is e-waste and how we recycle e-waste
What is E-Waste?
E-waste is electronic waste such that when electric appliances are no longer of any use you should recycle them. To put it in context, every year the world ends up with 50 to 60 million tons of , which is only 2-3% of global waste production. Nevertheless, the helplessness of the amount of waste may be bad for the Earth and us more than all other wastes could ever do. However, since e-waste contains hazardous materials, like lead, cadmium, or beryllium. You can toss them into the air or pollute the soil or water bodies nearby. Moreover, the closer people get to the landfills, the higher the chances of exposing these toxic metals. This ultimately leads to people suffering from various health issues.
Types of E-Waste Products
It might not be a great idea to drop e-waste even in the trash as you need to ask government or the private service takers to drop e-waste from your home. e-products include electronic devices used in households such as air conditioners, fridges, and televisions. This constitutes the major share followed by refrigeration, lighting, and mobile phones. In most cases, the organizations or entrepreneurs are responsible for recycling the valuable parts of the e-products. They also get rid of harmful materials during the recycling process. The harmful substances must be collected before they are supported to counter potential risks.
E-Waste Recycling Benefits
Along the way, e-waste recycling brings a host of other benefits, besides the protection of people’s health and the environment. These metals are not renewable, unlike some other minerals. However, the electronic devices that extract from these non-renewable minerals get into the recycling process. They do not need to go into the recycling process because we need substitutes of these materials.
Lithium is a non-renewable mineral that you can find almost everywhere. Its price is going up quickly. Many e-waste products come out from the product of Lithium. Recycling can help to extract Lithium from the products.
Also, Lithium has become widely popular as it is widely popular in the manufacturing industry. It has become more popular recently because of its important role in making rechargeable batteries for electric cars.
In 2016, the general public became aware of electric cars as a clean technology that is implemented to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. This led to a surge in lithium requirements.
However, the market is moving at a sluggish pace. But with the abrupt bloom in demand is resulting in the lowering of lithium supply. The delayed mining and processing can result in the slowing down of the development of electronic products in the future. Keeping the already existing lithium-ion batteries will ensure that there is a regular supply of lithium to the market. Recycling helps to keep the prices lower. At the same time, these batteries are friendlier to the environment and the customer at optimal prices.
How E-Waste is Recycled?
Recycling of e-waste stands in a completely different league from conventional waste recovery. In most cases, manual sorting is the “first stage” of the recycling process. The e-waste usually accumulates and finally goes to the recycling houses. This is where the workers arrange the e-waste into categories according to the type and model of the device.
Subsequently, it ensures that the electronic devices are all filtered, and within that process, the parts that are still in use will be isolated. The manufacturers sell them to the individual units and the manufacturers use them to make a phone, computer, or some other useful technology. As for asset management of the electronic waste that cannot be repaired, it is important to send them to the recycling centers.
Workers are provided with complete safety during the recycling process. They wear heavy metal helmets that keep their heads safe when the machine is on. The machine is huge. It shreds the e-waste into small pieces. Before that takes place, it must undergo a process called de-manufacturing. This means the product should be disassembled into components. Henceforth, this method rifles away all the components with such hazardous materials. The batteries and glues so that they won’t pollute the environment when disposed of in landfills.
Likewise, the toner that can be readily available photocopier contains too much flammable and explosive material. Therefore, it could even blow up the processing device if a shredded piece of it is used as ignition. Please note that there may be slight variations in individual conditions. This process is is advanced one and therefore operated by popular craftsmen.
Current Recycling Challenges
When discussing recycling, Statista reports an even lower record stating that only 17.4% of documented e-waste was recycled in 2019. However, the condition is also to a great extent causing the poor design of modern electronic devices. They might not be suitable for recycling and this is why it is better to leave them as it is. Smartphones are more and more becoming thinner and lighter and their batteries now can’t be replaced. Moreover, the recycling of data destruction of those phones is on a higher level.
The sorting of electronic products by hand implies that workers must remain under constant exposure to toxic components. In the early stages, over a long period performing operations gets more challenging. This sustainability of business opportunities with e-waste disassembling.
Many electronic product owners are not still aware of the recycling process of electronic products. However, it is important to ensure that the products are recycled in the right way and the project is taken by a professional company. It is important to recycle e-waste as this allows to combat the challenges that the companies may face in the future.