Macro Perspective: E-Waste Environmental Impacts

The industrial revolution followed by the advances in information technology during the last century has radically changed people's lifestyle. The increasing economic development has introduced another aspect of pollution in the environment and that is “E-waste”. Electronic waste, abbreviated as e-waste, consists of discarded old computers, TVs, refrigerators, radios-basically any electrical or electronic appliance that has reached its end-of-life (EoL). The high tech boom has brought with it a new type of waste-electronic waste or E-waste, a category that barely existed 20 years ago. Now E-waste represents the biggest and fastest growing manufacturing waste. E-waste contains materials that are both valuable and toxic. Ewaste contains a host of toxins such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants as well as aluminum, iron, gold, silver, copper and rare earth metals. Disposal of e-waste is a particular problem faced in many regions across the globe. Computer wastes that are landfilled produces contaminated leachates which eventually pollute the groundwater. Acids and sludge obtained from melting computer chips, if disposed on the ground causes acidification of soil. Now water is being transported from faraway towns to cater to the demands of the population. Incineration of ewastes can emit toxic fumes and gases, thereby polluting the surrounding air. Improperly monitored landfills can cause environmental hazards. Mercury will leach when certain electronic devices, such as circuit breakers are destroyed. The same is true for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from condensers. The most dangerous form of environmental pollution is by burning e-waste is the open-air burning of plastics in order to recover copper and other metals. The toxic fall-out from open air burning affects the local environment and broader global air currents, depositing highly toxic biproducts in many places throughout the world. In this paper, the author discusses the environmental impact of E-waste. Also this study attempts to understand the consumers’ awareness and their viewpoints towards environmental pollution caused by the E-waste. This research conveys the significance of the contribution of all the stakeholders regarding the E-waste management. This paper suggests the various pathways to create awareness so that the environmental concerns of E-waste and its management can be properly tackled.