E-Waste : Dark Side of Digital Age

E – Waste: Dark Side of Digital Age
Showkat Ahmad Dar and Zubair Ahmad
We are living in a world driven by technology and the
technology is evolving at a rapid pace.The mobiles have
given way to smartphones, television has given the way to LEd
And LCd and desktops has given way to laptops and tablets.
The moment a new model of a product is launched in the
market the previous one becomes obsolete. ost of the time
the obsolete stuff is discarded as a waste product. These
unwanted non working or obsolete electronic products which
have reached the the end of their shelf life are known as e-
waste.These include the discarded electronic products such
as computers, mobiles, washing machines, etc to name a few.
The developed countries produce millions of tonnes of e
waste every year. Millions of tonnes of e waste is illegally
dumped in the developing countries. In the developing countries
this e waste is dumped into landfills, incinerators and ill
equipped recycling facilities. Methods such as acid baths and
burning of electronics are used for the recovery of the useful
material.These methods in turn pose serious health issues and
can be harmful to the individuals who are involved in these.
My kashmir also accepted the blessings of science.Flock of
youth are now addicted by the electronic equipments.Due to
poor Management system this utility has tendency to pose
further threats and health issues to kashmir a land on
paradise.
These equipments contained serious toxin harmful chemicals
which can cause liver, heart and skeletal system damage.
Besides they known to have a deteriorating effect on the
nervous and reproductive systems of the human body.
The rampantly growing environmental footprint of the e waste is
indeed a cause of worry. Its the responsibility of both the
consumers and producers to manage the growing e waste.
We the citizens need to understand our responsibility towards
the environment also. The regulatory authorities can classify
the waste material into different grades and provide
guidelines for the decomposition of waste in each category.
People need to be made aware of the e waste and its
hazardous side effects. The government educational institutions
and NGos need to come forward to contribute their share. The
govt needs to come up with strict rules regarding e waste and
their proper implementation should be taken care of.
Defaulters need to be penalized heavily.
The united nations environment programme created the Basel
convention in 1989 in order to keep a check on the rising e
waste menace. It requires Collective effort from the consumer
the producer and the govt to handle, manage and dispose the
e waste efficiently.Morever the Concept of 3R’s i. e Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle can play a vital role in the e waste
management.