An Insight Into The Most Common Kinds Of Electronic Waste
The never ending need for possessing high-tech products has resulted in a huge amount of electronic waste. Electronic waste or e-waste is a term used for multiple kinds of electronic and electrical equipment that are old or obsolete and do not serve any purpose now. Owing to its rising toxicity and quantity, e-waste has become a global pandemic. The improper disposal of the waste presents danger to the environment and human health. Thus it is vital to utilize the services of ewaste companies so that electronic waste is handled in the most reliable manner. Here we will have a look at the most common kinds of e-waste:
Office electronics
With the advancement of technology, old machinery gets obsolete and needs to be replaced. The most common office electronics include typewriters, fax machines, photocopying equipment and telephones.
IT and telecommunication equipment
Such items include things like personal computers, networking equipment, printers, mainframes, television sets, audio amplifiers, laptops, radio sets, musical instruments, CDs/floppy disks/DVDs, video cameras and scanners. It is vital that services of data destruction and ITAD companies are utilized to handle this IT waste in a reliable manner to ensure that no harm to the environment or human life is caused.
Big and small household appliances
The big household appliances include refrigerators, cookers, dishwashers, washing machines, freezers, microwaves, air conditioner appliances, big appliances for heating rooms, electric radiators, electric hotplates and electric fans. The other household appliances may be small in size but are still considered as electronic waste. These include things like vacuum cleaners, carpet sweepers, electric knives, water dispensers, appliances for hair cutting, hair drying, shaving and massage and appliances utilized for knitting and weaving.
Medical equipment
The examples of equipment used in this category include scanners, radiotherapy equipment, freezers, lab equipment for in-vitro diagnosis, dialysis equipment, pulmonary ventilators, stethoscopes, cardiology equipment and appliances utilized for detecting, treating, preventing, monitoring and alleviating illness, disability & injury. Electronic waste recycling services play a pivotal role in recycling the huge amounts of medical e-waste that gets generated every year.
Consumer equipment
The items that come under this category include equipment for milling, sanding, sawing, turning, grinding, folding, drilling, processing or punching wood, metal or other materials, tools for welding or soldering, tools for screwing, nailing, removing or riveting nails, screws, sewing machines and equipment for gardening activities like mowing.
Leisure and sports equipment
This includes things like video game consoles, hand-held video games, electric trains, car racing sets, computers for biking, rowing, diving & running and other sports equipment with electronic or electric components.
Effects of improper disposal of electronic waste
When e-waste is not handled responsibly using national electronic recycling services, big economic, ecological and social consequences are encountered. These include the following:
- Air and water pollution
- Impact on human, soil, animal and aquatic health owing to the radioactive nature of e-waste
- Poor health because of lead and mercury poisoning
- Huge investment in complex and expensive environmental remediation technologies
- Loss of employment opportunities in recycling industries