Skip to main content

Responsibilities of Companies towards IT Recycling

Information Technology has brought about a revolution that has reached literally all corners of the globe. The march forward is an ongoing process. Our planet is now overburdened with tons and tons of electronic waste. According to the United Nations, e-waste of the world adds to 50 million tons annually. E-waste is anything used containing wire, plug, battery or using electricity for operations

Consequences of Ignorance:

The usual way of disposing e-waste, is by dumping them in landfills or burning them incinerators. But electronic gadgets contain lead and other toxic substances that get absorbed in the soil, water and air. In a chain reaction humans as well as plants and animals ingest this causing great harm. Thus, proper recycling is a must – it is the call of the hour. Casual processing of this e-waste poses great danger to the environment. In all there are about 60 elements in these electronic items. The toxic contents like mercury and lead get absorbed by the soil and groundwater. The waste also contains rare and valuable materials. If retrieved properly it will allow for conservation of energy.

The demand for new electronics will decline and thus less virgin raw resources will be tapped. Electronic manufacturing involves use huge amounts of water and electricity. For manufacturing a single computer is required fossil fuel weighing a ton and chemicals weighing 48 pounds together with nearly 2 tons of water. More sections of society will benefit from cheaper electronic goods.

One of the biggest fears is that data gets hijacked if not destroyed properly. The apprehension leads them to destroy by hand themselves rather than hand over to any third party for correct disposal.

Neglect of IT Recycling:

The urgent numerous demand for recycling has led to the mushrooming of many specialized recycling firms but the question being posed is – are these companies dealing with IT recycling discharging their responsibilities responsibly?

According to Electronics Takeback Coalition, most electronic dealers are failing miserably in addressing the problem of recycling. Till now professionals dealing with this field lack the proper experience backed by training to audit the recycling process. The recycling processing is very expensive. Doubts have surfaced regarding data security as well as environmental issues.

Donating used electronics merely postpones the issue. It’s like sweeping the dust under the carpet. The problem remains for a future date. 70% to 80% is exported to less privileged parts of the globe.

Surveys have indicated that firms afraid of confidential data getting hijacked are not opting for giving the gadgets to firms that claim to do the job.  In UK 95% of the used computers are landing up in landfills. Out of 500 firms questioned only 5% had plans to responsibly dispose of the waste. Many business units are not even aware of regulations.


Remedial Steps:

The waste management firms have to convince those disposing of their electronic waste that they can do their job properly. A robust recycling programme is required; for instance setting up drop boxes will attract more business. A suggested solution is that manufacturers to join hands with firms wading into the recycling business. Against this background Ecogreen is doing commendable work in this field of recycling.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

4 Types of Recycling Materials

Recycling is inevitable for the environment. Anyone can take part in recycling in order to save the environment. In case you are wondering what things can be recycled, this is what you need to know. Eco Green IT London Tells About 4 Recycling Materials There are several types of recycling. We can categorize recycling into 4 main categories. Paper & Cardboard Recycling Any type of paper or cardboard can be recycled. The process of recycling paper includes collecting the paper from various ways, sorting the paper with respect to the grade of the paper and soaking the paper in a mix of water and chemicals to make a pulp. The pulp is cleaned up by tossing in machine, injecting air and soap-like chemicals to remove any type of ink or other residues and then drying the pulp in a screen. The fibres bind with each other as the water drains off. The rollers are then used to smooth the paper and squeeze remaining water. Plastic Recycling Plastic is the wond

8 Eco-conscious Ways to Dispose Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste can be found everywhere – from commercial offices to factories to heavy manufacturing plants in the form of chemicals, cleaning fluids, pesticides, batteries, nuclear power, and more. Even if you are not producing hazardous waste, you are indirectly contributing in some or the other way. Here are 8 steps you can take to ensure safe and Eco-friendly disposal of waste: 1. Incineration Incineration is a safe way to dispose toxic waste and destroy hazardous waste. A big advantage of this method is the ability to transform flammable waste into energy sources. Advanced incinerators have greatly reduced the release of toxic gases in the environment. Incineration needs minimal amount of land, brings down the amount of trash to half and the residue produced is odorless. 2. Recycling Certain treated hazardous waste can also be recycled instead of being directly dumped into a landfill. Companies are now also compacting recyclable waste to reach their green goals

Secure Data Destruction: How to Wipe a Computer Before Recycling

  Introduction: In our digital age, recycling old computers responsibly is crucial for both data security and environmental conservation. Properly wiping your computer before recycling ensures that your sensitive information remains confidential and prevents electronic waste from polluting our planet. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of securely wiping your computer before recycling, protecting your privacy and contributing to a greener future . Back Up Your Data: Before initiating the computer wiping process, it's essential to back up all your important files and data. This precaution ensures you don't lose valuable information during the recycling process. You can back up your data using an external hard drive, cloud storage, or a network storage solution. Sign Out of Accounts: To prevent unauthorized access to your accounts and personal information, make sure to sign out of all your accounts on the computer. This incl