The New Hazardous Waste: Electronic Waste

New Hazardous Waste: With the electronic waste technology, the existence of humans has opened up more ideas and knowledge than we can think. Technological advances in every aspect from medicine to information circulation make life better and more convenient. The use of computers and the Internet has created a global network where people around the world can instantly communicate and share information. In 1965, Gordon Moore, one of the founding members of Intel, said that computer processing power doubled every 18 months.

Electronic waste or 'electronic waste' seems to be a challenge of the modern era. Electronic waste is electronic products or equipment such as computers, printers, mobile phones, PDAs, copiers, etc., which contain harmful substances and may adversely affect the environment. Most people believe that electronic waste is only a material for packaging electronic products and equipment. However, it should be noted that electronic waste includes not only electronic devices that may become unnecessary for several years, but also packaging materials used by manufacturers to cover these electronic devices It is important.

Electronic waste includes waste from electronic products such as mobile phones, refrigerators, electronic office equipment, computers, televisions and electronic entertainment equipment that are discarded. According to GreenPeace.org, e-waste currently accounts for 5% of the world's urban solid waste, electronic waste is not the only advanced country. Why is such a problem in electronic waste? In addition to handling a large amount of electronic waste, the world is concerned with harmful substances contained in electronic waste. Various materials such as heavy metals, gas, plastic, chlorinated solvents are used for the manufacture of electronic products and their parts. The most common toxic substances contained in electronic waste are as follows.

According to RCRA, no substance can become hazardous waste unless it is solid waste. Solid waste may contain one or more of the listed hazardous wastes or may include one or more characteristics (flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic) of hazardous waste If it has, it is hazardous waste. . When waste classified as hazardous waste is mixed with non-hazardous waste or material, the mixture must be managed as hazardous waste. However, as long as it has dangerous nature, characteristic waste is still dangerous.