CIRCULAR ECONOMY – RECLAIMING E-WASTE

E-waste is a mixture of many things.

From used computer parts to spent batteries…

From used fluorescent bulbs to used televisions…

From used mobile phones to discarded electronics…

The opportunities around recycling e-waste are abundant.

But there’s a challenge…

First these types of wastes are so diverse in nature that separation into individual components is difficult.

Many electronic parts are made up of mixtures of materials, metals and other substances such as alloys, composites etc.

Some of these components might attract more demand than others.

How could the more valuable parts be separated from the less valuable ones in an environmentally friendly manner?

Secondly, because we often don’t sort out trash before disposal, the rubbish dump is usually a repulsive place.

Rotting matter mixed with metallic, plastic and other stuff makes it an eyesore like no other.

But lastly, some of the substances used to manufacture electronic products are not friendly to our health.

Handling such waste?therefore requires special expertise and personal protective equipment.

That being said, there are start ups in the e- waste recycling sector that seem to be taking strides in the right direction.

It starts with the most basic of steps.

WASTE SEPARATION

Nothing gives dignity to waste like separating it.

That’s the strategy most western nations use to get value out of it.

Waste separation helps us visualize the value a specific waste will give us.

For example, putting rotting stuff together makes it possible for us to see compost or biogas in the future.

Likewise, put some electronic waste together and ideas for reuse might just spring up.

That being said, how can propective recyclers be empowered to take advantage of this e-waste recycling opportunity?

TRAINING

One way is to empower people to know how to deal with e-waste.

Are you an electrical technician, engineer, environmentalist knowledgeable in e- waste?

Well take advantage of this expertise and share it with others at a modest fee.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE Centre) is an institution that has chosen this path and is making good headway.

They train young people interested in venturing in this field enabling them to find ways of reclaiming waste.

But they also purchase used electronic gadgets, dismantle them and find different uses for the parts.

REUSE

Picture an electronic circuit board of a used computer…

Several components including resistors, capacitors etc are still intact and could be reused.

With some good understanding of electronics, some of these components could be isolated and reused to build circuit boards for others purposes.

Also, these components could be resold to generate an income where one didn’t exist before.

Which brings us to another point.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

As we’ve seen above, e-waste is a?resource?with many useful components still in working order such as resistors, capacitors, batteries, diodes, transistors, printed circuit boards etc.

Would it make economic sense to recover these components not just for resale but to create other solutions out of them?

The electronic circuit board could be rearranged and reused for a whole lot of other applications such as in lamps, mobile phones, digital watches, air conditioners, refrigerators etc.

These components could be recovered and used as startup assets in a technician’s repair business.

METALLIC COMPONENTS

Metals are some of the most common components of e-waste.

However recovery of these metals in pristine form is usually difficult.

One of the simplest ways of making an income from these wastes is just by removing and selling the metallic parts to metal smelters.

They’ll know how to separate the metals into individual components and find economic use for them.

IN CONCLUSION

E-waste not only offers opportunities to make the environment better.

It opens up space for waste recyclers and trainers in e-waste management.

But it also created opportunity for those interested in reuse of some of the working components to create employment.

Originally posted on Cleannovate Blog