E-waste, short for electronic waste, encompasses those discarded electronic devices or accessories and their parts that either have no use anymore or have ceased to function and have reached the end of its useful life. Most of which are given to certain retailers but are typically never sold. With the upright increasing volume of technological devices which are existing today, one cannot help but wonder what happens to all this trash. These discarded parts are affecting negatively whole environment but also the health of living bodies.

Global E-waste generation/capita averages 7kg/year (greatly depending on regions).Wealthier countries produces more e-waste/ capita than developing ones. For example Europe generates/capita 16kg/year while in Asia it is 5kg and it is even lower in Africa which is 2.5kg/person.

The present amount in 2021 is 57.4 metric million tones and expected to increase 74.7 by 2030 in Pakistan because of several factors such as power spending and availability of electronics and lot more making it a fastest growing stream. This amount is expected to grow to almost 50 million metric tons in total by 2018, with a growth rate of 4 to 5 percent year-to-year.

The current state of the world forces many poor Pakistani citizens to grapple with the waste they themselves did not create ,it is apparent that much of the US’s e-waste is shipped overseas.

Currently, the global share of documented, collected and recycled e-waste is only 20%, and the larger volume often ends up in hazardous waste landfills, which is the simplest solution and becoming an environmental concern worldwide. However, reducing e-waste is a very achievable goal,one that appears more attainable every day due to efforts by corporations and governments.

For this purpose the very 1st International day to promote the correct disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) throughout the world was held on 13 October.The day was observed to raise awareness about recycling of e-waste and to encourage the consumer. Now, annually this day is celebrated on 14th of October every year.

 

“Consumers are key to better management of e-waste, and we have high aspirations that this campaign can have a huge impact on their habits,” said Pascal Leroy, secretary general of the WEEE Forum, in a statement.

“Education and awareness are powerful tools for preventing waste and boosting separate collection and quality treatment. If you need to climb a mountain you need the right tools. International E-Waste Day is the right kind of tool” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment in his dedicated message last year.

This is one of the reasons why this year too, the WEEE Forum invite all stakeholders to plan awareness raising activities for 14 October and join this common effort by registering as an official participant of International E-Waste Day. Any action promoting sound e-waste collection, repair, reuse or recycling is welcome in the frame of International E-Waste Day.

About the Author: Iqra Ateeq is a student of Environmental Sciences at GCWUS. She is keen for environmentalism. She is a climate activist and loves to write for environment and nature. Iqra is a nature lover by heart and a green blogger.