JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts. EPA also collaborates with the Solving the E-waste Problem Initiative Step to jointly address the e-waste problem in developing countries. Some of the work undertaken by UNU-Step included tracking global flows of e-waste, the Person-in-the-Port project in Nigeria, optimization of an e-waste dismantling facility in Ethiopia and the development of a tool to help gather information on volumes of e-waste generated within countries and exported to others.
The meeting took place in San Jose, Costa Rica with participation from the thirteen countries involved in the project, along with experts from around the region and the world. Managing the e-waste created by an increasing amount of computer and telecommunication equipment is important to the Ethiopian government, and many international partners have worked in Ethiopia to help address this concern.
The project also strengthened the capacity of a demanufacturing facility to process e-waste in Addis Ababa. EPA served as an international advisor to an Ethiopian working group on e-waste management during the course of this work. The project ended in late The International E-Waste Management Network IEMN is a network of government officials that come together annually to exchange best practices and learn from experts how to improve management of used electronics in their own countries.
Officials from the governments of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and North America were present to learn and share about new tools and approaches to e-waste management. Every time you recycle your electronics, you are preventing your E-waste from leaching toxic metals into your groundwater. The recycling of e-waste serves a lot of useful purposes.
For instance, include protecting human and environmental health by keeping those devices out of landfills. Or recovering the parts within the devices that still have value, and providing manufacturers with recycled metals that can be used to make new products.
Virtually all electronic waste contains some form of recyclable material. But in far too many instances, they are thrown away.
With electronic recyclers like GLEC , we have a solution. The challenge is getting recycling rates, still stubbornly low, to increase. The definition of e-waste is likely to keep expanding. In an era of rapid technological advancement, more and more highly sophisticated electronic goods are being invented and manufactured. Unfortunately, a skyrocketing amount of e-waste is being written off by owners as junk. New models arrive even as the current one appears to be working just fine.
Despite that, the latest version always provides additional features that make it seem too enticing to resist. The technology innovators continue to create electric devices designed to make our lives easier and more convenient in every conceivable way. Still, we seem all too susceptible to quickly pitching the machines we already have.
In , Congress first addressed the issue of hazardous waste disposal with the passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This act sets standards for protecting human health and the natural environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal. One of the goals of the law was to ensure the management of waste in an environmentally sound manner.
The next major step was the Basel Convention in March , an international treaty designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations and prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less-developed countries. This industry has the most proven way of keeping e-waste out of landfills or from being burned in incinerators. The recycling industry has been devoted to taking reusable parts from discarded electronic devices and recycling them for the benefit of local businesses and manufacturers.
Get email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. You must be over the age of Privacy notice. Smart cookie preferences. Change cookie preferences Accept all cookies. Skip to content. Read later. You don't have any saved articles. By Kerry Lotzof. What is e-waste? Why is e-waste a problem? Current e-waste recycling solutions are just exporting the problem Recycling is a preferable option to sending valuable componentry to landfill, but it comes with its own ethical considerations.
Postpone upgrading for as long as you can Think twice about getting your phone or other devices upgraded. Find opportunities for reuse If the item is still in good working order or requires only minor repairs, think about giving it to someone else. Try returning the item to the manufacturer If the item is broken or unusable, a first port of call should be the manufacturer.
Take them to a dedicated e-waste recycling facility If there really is no way to reuse or return the item, find a reliable local organisation who will recycle it. A challenge to manufacturers and consumers When considering buying another piece of technology, the cheapest deal might not be the best for you or the planet. E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life.
Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. With the passage of the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of , certain portions of the electronic waste stream are defined and the systems to recover and recycle them will be administratively regulated beyond the universal waste rules that apply to material handling.
Please refer to our regulatory information section for updates on laws, regulations, and policies affecting e-waste management, and our and our Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Program page for a detailed explanation of the program. Is "e-waste" clearly defined?
0コメント