Electronic Waste and Environmental Impact

Electronic Waste (e-waste)

• E-waste encompasses discarded computers, office equipment, entertainment devices, cell phones, televisions, light bulbs, and refrigerators. It also includes used electronics destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal.
• Global e-waste reached 59.4 million metric tonnes in 2022 and is projected to reach 74 million metric tonnes by 2030.
• Canada's e-waste more than tripled in the last 20 years, increasing from nearly 1 million tonnes in 2020 to an anticipated 1.2 million tons annually by 2030.

Concerns Regarding e-waste

• Major concerns revolve around environmental and human health impacts.
• Handling e-waste during recycling and disposal can lead to physical harm due to heavy items (crushing accidents), sharp objects (cuts, lacerations), unexpected energy discharges, and explosions.
• Exposure to toxic compounds during recycling or environmental release (if improperly disposed) poses a risk. Toxic dust inhalation, contact with toxic compounds are potential hazards.
• Animals are also exposed to toxins released into the environment.

Toxic Compounds in e-waste

• Common toxic compounds found in e-waste include lead, mercury, cadmium, sulfur, brominated flame retardants, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), beryllium oxide, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• Exposure to these toxins can lead to negative health effects such as impaired cognition, organ damage, cancer, and reproductive harm.
• Toxic compounds can accumulate in larger animals, posing a risk to the food chain.

Disposal Problems of e-waste

• Discarded electronics are often shipped to developing countries like China, India, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Philippines for recycling.
• Recycling often involves unsafe practices like burning and shredding, releasing dangerous toxins in the air.
• Scrap yard workers in these areas face significant health risks handling and processing e-waste by hand.

Recycling e-waste

• Recycling e-waste recovers valuable metals like gold and copper and other rare earth materials like Indium, making it a profitable process.
• One metric ton of e-waste may contain up to 100 times more gold than one metric ton of gold ore.
• Best practice recycling techniques minimize the amount of toxic materials released into the environment.

Regulations on e-waste

• E-waste regulation in Canada primarily occurs at the provincial and territorial levels.
• The federal government focuses on international and interprovincial electronic disposal laws.
• Ontario has updated its Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) regulation in 2020 requiring producers to implement waste collection programs, recycling programs, and public education initiatives, and these are offered free of charge.
• Canada also adheres to the Basel Convention regarding transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal..

Secure Disposal of e-waste

• Data on hard drives should be erased to zero using available software and resources.
• When discarding cell phones, resetting to factory default will often sufficiently clear personal data.
• Turning off location services on cell phones and not reporting lost/stolen phones to service providers contribute to secure disposal practices, along with removing SIM cards and memory cards.

How to Dispose of e-waste

• Many stores that sell electronic devices often have programs for e-waste disposal. Vendors like Best Buy and Staples offer these services.
• Municipalities (like Ottawa and Pembroke, Ontario) have online resources detailing hazardous waste disposal procedures.