E-waste is a serious issue and demands our full attention. We all know the dangers of climate change, as well as throwing away plastic. We are not, however, aware of the consequences of e-waste; when you throw away electronic devices away after using them. What consequences does this have on our society?
Since e-waste is not recycled properly, it emits hazardous material in the environment, such as nickel, zinc, chromium, and more elements, which can lead to serious illnesses and deaths. Another consequence of this is that when it goes in the landfills; the toxins seep into the water, polluting our natural resources.
In order to solve this issue, we need to change certain habits. What we can do instead of throwing away our electronic devices is sell them if we don’t need to use it anymore. Besides saving money, the advantage of this is that it will reduce the amount of toxins and waste produced in the environment, saving lives and reducing the chances of exposure.
Faran A. Sharif, a student at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School said, “We all are concerned about the threat of climate change. We are not focusing on another issue, and that is e-waste. E-waste is a matter in which we must not ignore. This is basically like a threat to our world. It is a dangerous situation in which it poses health concerns to the people. If you don’t recycle your phone, then it will release toxic particles to whatever it gets in contact with. That’s why it is recommended not to put your phone in your pocket, but in your bag or purse. The phones contain lead, mercury, chlorine, cadmium, bromine, etc. These elements can lead to poisoning in the body, which can lead to death. Basically, this is like a form of murder because you are the cause of releasing toxins to our surroundings. That’s why we should recycle our electronic devices.” He emphasized the consequences of e-waste. What he also states is the precautions that can be taken in order to prevent the spread of e-waste. He also emphasizes the importance of recycling instead of throwing it away. This is because recycling gives us the opportunity to reuse certain products again instead of throwing them away and having them pollute our society.
Another thing that we can do is if we are going to throw away our electronic devices, then we should do research on companies that deals with this and can be trusted to responsibly throw away our electronic devices. If we do this, then we are all taking a precaution in order to make sure that even if we do throw away our electronic devices away, that we do it responsibly. If we all take the action of taking responsibility and being cautious, this will reduce the release of toxins into the environment caused by e-waste, saving many lives.
Last, but not least, we should also all have a skill, or at least learn how to fix gadgets. The main reason why electronic devices are thrown away is because they get broken even though they can be fixed easily, but because we don’t know how to and repairing them costs money, so for this reason, we should learn how to fix them. Fixing them will not only build up your resume and make you outstanding, but it will also reduce the unnecessary garbage of electronic devices.