This article covers three important issues that we all need to understand concerning the removal of e-waste and computer data. E-waste and computer data that we store on our computers and other digital devices can unscrupulous individuals for their own personal gain plus incorrectly destroying data can lead to certain health risks.
If you could jump into a time machine and take a visit back every ten years over the previous one hundred or one hundred or fifty years, what changes do you think you would see? Well, one thing is for sure, the access to developing technology for the worldwide population has made a major leap in the last ten years. The people in remote and developing places in South America, Asia and Africa now have televisions, DVD players, mobile telephones and personal computers, some of which can connect to the internet. ‘So what?’ you may think, but the speed of this technology saturation is not all good. Not only do people in developed countries replace their electronic appliances more and more often, raising issues about the environment and the security of their personal data, there is also a concern about educating those in developing areas about the dangers of what is known as e-waste. There are three issues to consider when disposing of electronic devices and appliances; the hazards, the data and the commodities. Therefore, e-waste removal is becoming a serious business as well as an important topic to educate the public about.
Firstly, the hazards of disposing of materials, such as lead, beryllium, flame retardants, and cadmium should not be taken lightly. In more developed countries there are regulations to control such activities as well as a certain amount of common sense that comes from good education, at school, in the media and at home. However, in less developed parts of the world, where this knowledge is outweighed by a desire to profit at the expense of others, or by corruption and abused power, these materials are often disposed of incorrectly. This can cause health problems from direct or indirect exposure. Even in places like the USA, leaching from landfill sites and the ashes from incineration can damage the environment and also organisms in the area.
Secondly, on devices such as mobile telephones and computers there is often data that could either be confidential, personal, or both. Just discarding these items without properly destroying the data could cause all sorts of future problems, such as identity theft or solicited mail and phone calls, proving inconvenient and probably costly to the victim.
Thirdly, the materials used to manufacture these products include valuable commodities that should not be destroyed off-handedly. Copper, steel and plastic are easily reusable and should be recycled.
These three issues should be considered by everyone involved in the manufacture, sale, use, discarding, and recycling of electronic devices and appliances. We need to protect and educate the end users and those in or near the environment where they are disposed of, while protecting our own personal data, and also helping the environment by aiding the recycling of certain materials.
