What is E-waste?
Discuss about the Handling E-Waste In Developed And Developing Countries: Initiatives, Practices, And Consequences.
E-waste or electronic waste refers to the electronic products that becomes unwanted or obsolete and have reached the ultimate end of their usefulness. In this modern world of technological advancements, there is a rapid increase in the ways electronic devices becomes trash just after few years of usage (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). In fact, it is an evident that the whole categories of the old electronic devices or items contributes to the electronic waste or e-waste like, for example the VCRs have been now replaced by the DVD players and apparently the DVD players too are undergoing replacement with the blue-ray players. Hence, E-waste is something that is created from something that is electronic. Computers, cell phones, monitors, fax machines, PDAs, printers etc, all contributes to e-waste if disposed. The electronic devices that are obsolete are growingly filling the landfills of the world. It is an evident that in United States alone, above 100 million of electronic devices comprises of computers are thrown away and in fact less than 20% of the total e-wastes are being recycled and disposed in proper manner (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). According to the estimation of EPA, about 60million metric tonnes of the total wastes enters into the landfills each year and most of the electronics that are thrown away improperly comprise of very toxic and harmful materials like that of cadmium, beryllium, lead and mercury. These materials might be mere trace elements but all of these when added up in a volume, they are no less than a threat to the entire environment and then the entire world in significant way. Besides enumerating the harmful elements to the environment, inappropriate disposal of electronic waste is a recycling opportunity lost (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). Near about every e-waste contains some or the other form of recyclable materials including glass, metals and plastics.
E-waste is rapidly increasing and with that comes the requirement for effective electronics recycling programs. People all over the world are urgently looking for information on the recycling of the television, computer systems and other related programs which would assist them responsibly get rid of the unwanted equipments while reducing the risks of identity theft or information. There is ethical and professional codes of conduct for such works like for example, disposing a hard disk or anything that contains data and information could be highly risky and even this may hinder the management of security and even result in loss of data. Disposing a content filed hard disk can often cause security issues and even important data and information may fall in wrong hands, which may cause other issues faced by the companies and organizations in the developing countries (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). The Codes of conduct and ethics are to be maintained for ensuring maintaining a stable working environment and at the same time, prevent occurrence of these issues with ease and effectiveness.
The Growing Problem of E-waste
The electronic products are thrown away when they are no longer useful. The people lack the awareness of the fact these wastes consist of toxic metals, which can pollute the environment. The crisis related to the e-wastes can be presented statistically. 400 million wastes were generated from US. 8.9 million Tonnes of household wastes were generated in European Union and for Japan, it was 4 million (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013).
Waste would be generated where there are people. This is because of the exploitation of resources for fulfilment of the basic needs. According to the census report, there has been an increase of 5% in the e-waste generation every year. As per the predictions of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the e-wastes generated by China would overpower the e-wastes of US by 2020. India has achieved a growth of 100,000 tonnes in 2012 in terms of e-wastes. By the year 2030, it is estimated that the developing countries would throw about 600 million computers (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013).
Laws for managing the electronic wastes reflect the compliance with the terms and conditions of ethical code of conduct. The collaborative attempt towards enactment of the laws led to the positive outcomes. As a matter of specification, the toxic wastes could no longer be thrown in the landfills. Loading the wastes into ships and trains became more economical. Jurisdiction was higher in the places, where they were produced or collected. The aspect of shipping prevented the wastes from degradation. Here, mention can be made of the lack of shipment of the hazardous wastes in US in the mid 1980. This is unethical in terms of catering to the wellbeing of the society. The following year encountered little improvement in terms of shipping the wastes to Eastern Europe or UK for further processing. The phase 1980-88 was a turning point the shipment of the wastes (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). There was a rise in the number of companies seeking USEPA approvals for shipping the hazardous wastes to abroad. Statistically, the number of these companies increased from 12 to 522.
Destination countries welcomed the hard currencies proposed by the companies. Example can be cited of 1990, when China invited the toxic wastes brought in by the companies in the containers. The government officials took US$50 per tonne as the fees. Most of the small and large companies lacked the efficient technologies for safe disposal of the toxic wastes. This was also without the legal considerations, which is an unethical approach. However, cheapest means were implemented for removing the composite materials (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). The residues were also disposed through efficient and effective procedures- burying, burning and discharging into waters. Discharge into the water affected 1% of the population, whose occupation centred on water. This was unethical in terms of catering to the basic survival needs of the people. Herein, the code of conduct attains a negative connotation.
Environmental Concerns
25 out of 50 states in US has enacted the laws regarding e-waste. This is in terms of the Basel Convention on the impact of e-waste on the environment. These laws contradict the limitations of the globalization of the electronic waste. Upon reaching the approved collection agency, the fate of the e-waste could not traced easily as it was sent to different countries like China, India, Pakistan among others (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). This issue reflected a lack of ethical approach of the personnel towards the catering to the environmental parameter. The impact of the toxic wastes on the environment compelled the American Congress to implement a law, Responsible Electronic Cycling Act. This act specifically dealt with the shipment of the electronic wastes, containing hazardous chemicals, to the developed countries. The main aim of this act was to collaborate Basel Action Network (BAN), Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition (SVTC) and Electronic Takeback Coalition (ETC) for achieving effective solutions for the managing the hazardous wastes (Sthiannopkao and Wong, M.H., 2013). Here, mention can be made of e-Stewards, an audit for the certifying the recyclers for enhancing their awareness about the benchmark, which they have to achieve for preserving the ecological biodiversity.
E-waste in the developed countries can be perceived from three perspectives: registration, collection and logistics. Registry relates with legal compliances, which the companies have to abide by in terms of assuring the quality of the checking the validity of the systems. Collection of the e-wastes can be grouped into two perspectives: collective system and clearing house system. Collective system is usually proposed for catering to the wellbeing of the people. This involves the partnership of the trade union members in terms of finding ways and means of recycling the wastes (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). Clearing house system relates with the competition of the producers and recyclers regarding the provision of services regarding management of the toxic wastes.
Logistics has three channels- collection, dismantling, pre-processing, end-processing and safe disposal of the waste. The wastes are collected by the municipal authorities free of cost. Retailers provide lucrative schemes on repeated purchases. Direct producers needs replacement of the purchases for the business customers. Dismantling, pre-processing, processing are the stages after the collection of the wastes. The final outcome of this is the disposal of the wastes, which are mostly recycled. Trained workers are needed for operating the machines needed to dismantle and pre-process the toxic wastes. The machines for end processing require heavy investments, such as US$100 millions.
Professional Codes of Conduct and Ethics
Mention can be made of Japan, which developed latest technologies for the effective management of the e-waste. Complying with the IT legislations reflects the ethical approach of the companies and organizations towards reducing the toxic waste generation (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). In the list, Korea, Canada and Australia can also be included. Compared to this, the system used by Switzerland is of best quality. This is because it exceeds the minimum EU directives in terms of collecting and recycling the targets.
2001 was the era when Japan had home appliance recycling laws. The end user was entitled to pay the recycling fees. The local government was entrusted with the responsibility to collect the goods, which were to be disposed. The consumers paid the recycling fees, which varied from 1800 to 5500 yen. This was in accordance with the specifications of items. Take backs were introduced, which exempted the companies from bearing the charge of possessing materials, which might contain toxic wastes. According to the statistical data, 74% of the wastes were reached a recycler (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). This was in comparison to 12.5% of the wastes, which reached to the recycler in US.
Domestic recycling practices include careful separation of the materials, decontamination, step-by-step disassembling and deconstruction of the plasmatic furnaces. This assemblage prevented the release of toxic compounds. Recycling can be considered as an ethical practice in terms of preventing the environmental pollution and degradation.
The personnel lacked the basic understanding regarding the policies for collection of the e-waste. In this list, the countries like China, India, Pakistan and Nigeria can be included. All these countries are the members of Basel Convention, abiding by the regulations, which act as an address for the importation of the hazardous toxic wastes. Labelling of the wastes eases the process of import (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). According to the data, US, 25 nations of EU and Japan are considered as the leading producers of e-waste. Among these, 4.49 million tonnes is estimated to be the household wastes in 2010. 4.18 million tonnes of wastes have been generated from the recipient regions of China, India and West Africa. In case of India, 44% more electronic waste was generated in the landfills.
Electronic waste is a very severe environmental issue that arises from the toxic chemicals that are leaching into the soils present in the landfills. Improper recycling of the e-wastes results in environmental pollution in the countries. E-wastes is very harmful and toxic to the human health, especially to the ones who are working directly with it in the dumps of e-wastes. The e-waste pollution in the atmosphere and the air, which the workers working in such firms breath in continuously results in stress and inflammation that lead to the heart and lung diseases and it also has the potential to damage the DNA and could result in cancer as well (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013).
Managing E-waste: Recycling Opportunities
Guiyu was the region where vast amount of wastes have been generated. Here, the focus was on investigating the effects of crude oil disposal on the environment as a whole. Samples were collected from the deposits on the circuit boards and metals. Some of the accumulation levels were very high. Mention can be made of cadmium, which were found in high intensity in the rice paddies (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). Plants were grown in large numbers, which possessed high intake capacity of cadmium concentration. Along with this, high levels of dust were found in the metals. Lead was a common metal in the villages. One of the most striking facts is the discovery of the cadmium levels in the umbilical cords, affecting the health of the babies.
Along with this, studies have discovered thigh levels of toxins in air, soil, water and human tissues. Interestingly, these toxins are excluded from direct harm to the individuals. However, there have been intensified neurological effects, bringing noticeable effects on the behaviour of the people. The scientists have had difficult times in establishing cure for these behavioural changes (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013). Toxins in the air have created noise pollution, giving rise to another set of diseases. This has been a challenge for the scientists in terms of developing sustainable solutions for ensuring the wellbeing of the people. Consciousness towards ensuring the speedy recovery of the people would reflect ethical approach. On the other hand, lackadaisical approach towards this direction would result in environmental degradation as well as aggravation of the health complexities of the people (Sthiannopkao and Wong 2013).
In terms of handling an issue, personnel need the cooperation of the team members, which helps in achieving successful completion. This is applicable in all of the business projects including management of the e-waste. Waste is something, which destroys the beauty of the environment as well as the balance within the ecosystem. Every second the population of the world is increasing, which is inevitable, as the evolution is a universal rule. In order to satisfy the needs, humans would make use of the natural resources. Over-exploitation of these resources leads to the generation of wastes. Negligence towards disposal of the wastes gives rise to various diseases, degrading the ecological diversity as a whole.
Removal of the waste is a collective attempt of the government and the people. This collaboration enhances the awareness towards preserving the ecological diversity. Herein lays the appropriateness of “communication” in terms of bringing the issue to the notice of the government. Précised form of communication enhances the personality of the personnel. This enhancement helps in the achievement of growth in the professional roles. “Practice” refers to the ways and means adopted by the personnel towards involving the government and the people in the campaign towards restoration of the lost ecological diversity.
Laws for Managing E-waste
Prior practice is an advantage for the personnel in terms of convincing the personnel towards the demands. For example, if an employee is fluent in English, he can easily approach the manager for narrating the effects, which the harmful toxins are creating in the environment. He can also give a presentation, displaying the effects of the toxic wastes on the other countries. Crisp, catchy and ornamental languages are bound to create a positive image in the minds of the managers. Here, an important aspect is ethical code of conduct. Taking steps, which hurt the sentiments of the people, is an unethical approach, no matter how fluent the employees are in their communicative skills.
Environmental Directives and guidelines can be taken as an example of professional practice. This involves the collaboration of the personnel towards mitigation of the toxic wastes. Typical forms of this are meetings, conferences and summits with the neighbouring countries entering into mutual agreements. Engaging the employees in these meetings enhances their communicative skills and confidence towards facing a large number of audiences. Here, ethical code of conduct is respecting the individual sentiments of the employees in terms of their grasping powers.
One of the other parameter is the people, whom the employees need to involve in their attempts towards beautifying the environment. Herein, one of the prime elements is communication, which produces collaborative attempts towards restoring the ecological biodiversity.
Codes of behaviour consists of various policies, expectations and principles that were considered by a person while the ethical codes mean managing codes of business ethics, codes of conduct for the employees and maintaining the codes of professional practices. The Codes of ethics include the values, beliefs, strengthen the proficiency of Codes of conduct, and develop restrictions on certain aspects regarding behaviours and attitudes of employees at the company too. There were many codes of conduct introduced by the Government for overcoming the ethical issues and maintain a positive ethical culture in the workplace in order to promote teamwork, equal opportunities and open communicate for the employees and hence, maintaining the welfare and safety of the employees and making sure that the disposal of wastes have been completed in proper way for creating less harmful impact on the environment. According to the Labor Relations Act, employment practices between the employer and employees were maintain to manage good behaviours with them and providing them with the right amounts of wages according to their job roles and responsibilities. The Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act and Promotion of Equality further contributed to the prevention of different forms of discrimination in the workplace environment and even ensuring to give the workers equal scopes, regardless of their genders. The Securities Services Act was another legislation that focused on maintaining the security of data and information of the customers of Fluor Australia and disposing the hard disks consisting of important data in such a manner, so that they those could not be accessed by other people. The Environmental Protection Act was introduced by the Government to ensure that the environmental laws, rules and regulations were followed and the companies within the Engineering sector could manage disposal of wastes in the proper areas and even focus on incineration techniques to burn and destroy the entire wastes. This could prevent unauthorized access to the confidential data and information and furthermore maintain better security and authenticity of data and information stored in the databases. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could prevent any sort of corruption and bribery where money should be taken for personal benefits and for gaining better employment scopes and opportunities than the others. The construction and engineering materials and toxic chemicals must not be flowed down into the water bodies, which could also create negative environmental impact.
E-waste in the Developed Countries
Conclusion
To sum up it can be said that there are various codes of conduct and ethical issues inclusive of disposal of the harmful and toxic wastes in the environment and water bodies that ultimately affects the health of the human beings as well as influence the ecological balance of the nature and surroundings and it even negatively affects the environments. There are numerous developed countries all over the world in which the companies dispose e-posts and does not consider the fact where it is finally getting disposed off and whether it is properly disposed or not. In the already developed countries, electronic waste is collected in order to recover some of the materials that are of value and to be safely getting rid of the cadmium, lead, mercury, furans, dioxins, and such toxic materials as they contain. In the developing countries, the e-waste is being collected mainly in order to recover some few metals of value and that they could be used in other purpose.
Toxic wastes are harmful for the environment as well as the people. This is because of the various diseases, which are caused by the harmful chemicals. Along with this, there is also the loss of data, which disposed off at an advanced stage. Therefore, the companies and organizations in the developing countries need to follow certain guidelines. One of this is the measurement of the toxic wastes. This would enable the scientists to measure the impact of the wastes and suggest solutions for reducing the wastes levels. Herein, adherence to the directives would be useful in terms of investing the waste levels in an authentic manner. Taking the assistance of the statutory body of law would reflect compliance with the ethical code of conduct.
Along with this, solid waste management techniques can be adopted by the companies and organizations in the developed and developing countries. Here, segregation of the wastes would enhance the awareness of the workers about which wastes to recycle and which to throw away. High quality disposal techniques need to be adopted for catering to the habitats of the people living in the nearby areas. Permission from the local government and municipal authorities would reflect adherence to the ethical code of conduct. Hiring skilled and trained experts would result in the achievement of positive outcomes. If the workers wear gloves, sanitation and hygiene would be maintained and spread of the vector borne diseases can be prevented.
Along with this, insurance of the systems can aid the personnel in availing its benefits. If the machines are thrown when the data still exists in it, strict actions can be taken against the personnel. Herein lays the appropriateness of strict policies, which instructs the personnel to make effective use of the systems.
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