What is E-Waste?

In 2019, Apple overhauled the iPhone lineup and welcomed three new handsets: the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Until the new iPhone 12 is released in September 2020 these are the most recent devices you can buy.

I know, it is gorgeous, beautiful and perhaps it has better quality. All the friends around you change their phones and buy new models of various brands. Also, celebrities post many photos on Instagram with their super new, amazing phone. They advertise and get paid for that. You are excited and ready to give up hundreds of dollars to buy one or two or so many. I wish I could say that I appreciate your ignorance but I don't. This craziness of consumption competition causes e-waste accumulation which has become a serious problem around the globe.

Did you know that an average of 20-50 million tons of e-waste emerges every year in the world? This is the concern of waste which gets accumulated each time we throw our existing phone and other sorts of electronic devices into the garbage. According to the research, 44.7 million tons of electronic devices were disposed of in 2016. These are TVs, computers, tablets, mobile phones, house devices, vacuum cleaner, toaster... It has been documented that only 20% of these devices are recycled, the rest is garbage. That is as concerning as the other types of waste problem because when e-devices are thrown away like this, they release harmful substances such as Cobalt (Co), Barium (Ba), Mercury (Hg) and 1000 more. These elements are harmful to both the environment and human health. E-waste is responsible for 1% of global waste. Despite this, e-wastes cause 7% of the dangerous substance pollution in the soil. That waste substances harm microorganisms underground and it has a considerable effect on the whole ecosystem.

In most developed countries, this problem remains unsolved. Since electronic waste accumulation grows rapidly every day, it has started to pose significant risks for developed countries that they have started to send their wastes to poor countries instead of producing solutions. This method is preferred as the easiest way to get rid of the garbage. This dangerous import has started to be discussed day by day. Much electronic waste's travel ends in countries such as China and some African territories. While these countries recycle copper, aluminum, and gold with primitive recycling methods, they cause the release of these toxic wastes into soil and water. According to the data of the World Trade Organization, the world electronics industry has grown by 10.5 percent from 1996 to 1999. In 2003, world electronic goods production amounted to $ 1,324 million. There are 2 billion mobile phone users today in the world. This indicates that around 2 billion mobile phones are produced and used.

In the world, there are companies, organizations, and foundations that collect e-waste to recycle and reuse them. Instead of randomly throwing e-devices into the garbage, we must give them to reliable recycling companies who are responsible for the recycling of e-devices. (For example AEEE and TEGV in Turkey). These companies collect e-waste separately from other waste. A controlled dismantling is carried out in environmentally licensed processing plants. Waste electrical and electronic goods are processed through a series of processes such as dismantling, crushing, shredding, and recovery, as well as precious metals such as copper, aluminum and gold, as well as parts such as plastic and metal, are recovered. Heavy metals and harmful gases are removed. Recycled products, white goods as raw materials, used in sectors such as the automobile industry.

Although some of the waste can be recycled, most of the electronic goods are threw away randomly or mainly ignored. Also, increasing demand is parallel to the production of more electronic devices, so as e-waste. Because of this, e-waste accumulation does not slow down. Each time a new brand of e-device is launched in the marked many people demand those and compete to consume like many other things. Evidently, after some point, the problem is more than the economic side. It is moral and ethical. That is true for everything. We consume with an endless desire, we are so greedy. Yet most of the time, we do not think about the consequences of our actions. We may not know, that is a little okay. If the problem is only ignorance, this can be solved, I believe. but what if we know but do not take action? Well, this is a matter of morality and irresponsibility. Regarding the developments of information access, the problem seems mostly moral. This craziness of consumption must end. We need to stop buying more than we need. We must stop buying a new PC or Ipad while ex are still working. This greedy fashion trap and consumption habits cause so many troubles both for now and in the future. We must be aware of these matters and contribute to solution progress instead of becoming a part of it.