According to the WHO, E-waste is one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams in the world.
In 2022, an estimated 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally. Only 22.3% of the collected materials had documented proof of being recycled.
With the constant increase in our demand and dependence on electronic devices, adopting sustainable practices is vital.
Studies show that organizations generate the majority of electronic waste. Recycling electronic parts and devices is a great way to implement CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility).
The Growing E-waste Problem
E-waste is toxic and non-biodegradable making it one of the most complex waste types. It consists of harmful substances and metals that must be properly disposed of or recycled.
E-waste Disposal
Companies adopt several methods to dispose of drives that once held sensitive data. They use a combination of physical and logical methods to ensure that sensitive data cannot be recovered.
- Physical
- Logical
Physical Disposal Methods
Businesses often use physical destruction as it is a very secure method of preventing data recovery. By adopting these methods, the remaining parts can be recycled and used to manufacture new electronic parts at the cost of your carbon footprint.
- Shredding – Uses industrial shredders to cut hard drives, SSDs, and tapes into tiny fragments, making data recovery impossible. The shredded parts are later segregated for recycling.
- Crushing – Applying immense pressure to destroy platters, chips, and storage components.
- Incineration – Burning storage devices at extreme temperatures to eliminate data. While this method does meet the security requirements, it releases a lot of harmful pollutants in the air such as heavy metals like lead and mercury along with other carcinogens.
- Pulverization – Reducing storage devices to dust or small particles through mechanical force.
- Drilling or Punching – Create holes in hard drives or SSDs to destroy data storage areas.
- Chemical Destruction – Dissolves storage components using acid or other chemicals.
Logical Methods Of Data Destruction
Logical methods are often used within the bounds of software, but may not be as effective as physical destruction. However, these methods allow drives and devices to be reused and resold and increase the product’s lifecycle while reducing a firm’s carbon footprint.
- Formatting: Formatting is an effective way to get rid of old data on a drive or laptop. Users can format their drives multiple times to reduce the chances of data recovery.
- Drive Wipe: Drive wiping overnights the drive multiple times according to set standards and is the most effective logical method to prevent any data recovery in the future.
How Does Recycling Create a Carbon Footprint?
Recycling e-waste has its challenges, as acid baths or burning that are often used to recover metals release highly toxic pollutants such as lead, mercury, beryllium, thallium, cadmium, and arsenic, and also brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polychlorinated biphenyls, which cause irreversible health effects.
There can be several causes that could lead to excessive e-waste:
- Growing demand for electronic devices:
As businesses constantly grow and new ones are created, the demand for electronic devices will rise accordingly.
- The shorter lifecycle for electronic products:
Laptop and smartphone companies release an updated model every year leading consumers to discard devices halfway through their product lifecycle.
- Advances in technology and updated policies-
As new advancements are made in technology, new policies are created to ensure that businesses take advantage of the new tech.
According to sources, 120 million tonnes of e-waste globally which is over double what we currently produce today.
According to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor, organizations account for 40% of global e-waste. But this also means that organizations can help reduce e-waste.
Life Cycle of Electronic devices in a company
Benefits Of Recycling/Reusing For an Enterprise
Reduced Carbon Footprint: If done right, we can minimize the environmental impact and enhance your sustainability image. recycling, reselling, or refurbishing devices can go a long way.
Cost Savings: Reusing or Reselling will help save costs. An organization can save as much as 20% of costs if done correctly.
CSR Compliance: Taking the green initiative of recycling or reusing electronic devices is a great way to give back to the community. Old devices can even be donated if they aren’t going to be used by the organization. This also helps boost the brands or spread awareness of the social cause.
Legal Compliance: Many regions have strict e-waste disposal laws and businesses need to meet any standards set by them. When it comes to highly regulated industries such as hospitals or insurance, firms are required to have strict storage disposal policies in place to protect sensitive information from leaking.
Government Support: Several governments actively encourage firms to adopt sustainable practices by offering incentives such as Tax credits, Grants, subsidies, and exemptions.
Several Huge Brands have committed to reducing their carbon footprint by cutting down on e-waste. Dell is one such company that has taken an initiative-
- Dell has implemented a closed-loop recycling system where it recycles old electronics to use in new products.
- The company also collects used computers and repurposes materials, reducing landfill waste and carbon emissions.
Challenges of Recycling at Scale
While recycling and reusing do come with a lot of advantages, it has its own set of challenges. Here are a few factors to take into consideration.
Security risk: Recycling and reusing drives always pose a security threat. If not disposed of properly, data can be leaked or fall into the wrong hands.
Policy and Documentation: Strict policies and resources are required to monitor and document disposal processes across large firms.
Associated costs with scale: Strict policies and resources are required to monitor and document disposal processes across huge firms. Several resources are required along with the talent to oversee the process.
Assurance: The largest concern is the assurance that all the implemented procedures will prevent any possibility of data breaches.
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To Conclude
As the world is aware of why minimizing our carbon footprint is required, we will only begin to see change years after we implement our solutions. This is a long and slow process that will take shape over the coming years. With rising temperatures and climate change, we must take action immediately.
