John F. Clark 
E-Waste or Electronic Waste refers to the discarded electronic and electrical gadgets. These wastes can be hazardous if disposed of unattended without segregating the ones that can be recycled. Recycling is one of the best measures to keep the environment sustainable and to prevent land pollution. The disposed waste contains many toxic and hazardous substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, iron, plastic, nickel, etc. It can be hazardous for the soil and animals if they intake it.
It is always advised to recycle electronic gadgets like television, computer, radio, etc., that can be easily recycled. One should follow the 3 R’s, i.e., Reduce, Reuse and Recycle the electronic waste than directly dumping them with garbage. The most hazardous materials are CRTs (Cathode Ray tubes) which should be checked before dumping them in the garbage. The plastic coverings of electronic goods contain polyvinyl chloride, which is very harmful too. Most municipal solid waste comprises electronic waste and is the maximum cause for the death of street animals that feed on them. When these electronic items are disposed of in landfills, their toxic, hazardous constituents enter the groundwater and affect the food chain. There is a host of benefits of recycling E-Waste. Some of them are as follows:
- Minimize pollution:
Now say no to pollution with recycling of electronic wastes. These toxic chemicals from electronic wastes were hazardous to the water bodies, soil, and even groundwater, causing water pollution, land pollution, soil pollution, etc. These toxic elements can cause serious ailments and disorders in bodies too.
- Environment friendly:
Recycling can help in protecting the environment in many ways. The harmful substances from electronic wastes can be hazardous when it comes to the environment. All the lighting uses fluorescent bulbs and tubes which have toxic mercury. When recycled, this mercury can be reused again for many purposes like dental amalgam, etc.
- Conservation of natural resources:
With the recycling of electronic wastes, energy and natural resources get conserved. The recycling of older products helps make new products from old materials, preventing pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, disturbance in the food chain, saving energy, etc., by utilizing less raw materials from the earth’s surface. Thus, it helps preserve non-renewable natural resources like copper, iron, aluminum, gold, and many other metals, by not extracting them from the earth’s surface.
- Saves Landfills:
The recycling of E-waste saves unnecessary landfills and dumping sites. The spaces will be rendered free now, which was earlier used for landfills and dispose of electronic waste and gadgets. Those areas can be well used now for other purposes like the construction of houses or agriculture.
- Employment:
E-waste management is a solid growing industry worldwide these days. It gives jobs and employment to many people who want to contribute to their environment. It is through the organization that one is contributing to social and environmental growth. With increased awareness about the environment and its resources, a lot many prospective employees are coming forth. There are many good workplace policies, too, along with employment.
Electronic items are trendy these days, but they only come when they are disposed of without thinking. Recycling is one of how this electronic waste can be reused without causing harm to the environment.
