Asish Chakraborty has a 12 years multi-disciplinary experience in retail, manufacturing, pharma, banking. Led the Communication Management System for Tata Sons Chairmans Office. Raised multiple investments over millions of dollars across multiple ventures. Was hosted by the Consulate General of Scotland. Scaled and exited from a hospitality venture. Spoke at several national and international universities.
The surge in the dependence on technology which was followed by the onset of a deadly pandemic made ways for more e-waste generation and secure data breeches. Remote learning and working from home also became common during the time that prodded a demand for new gadget buys, however these new, distributed gadgets have left organizations feeling helpless. In other words, the same gadgets that were used to prepare the workforce all through the COVID-19 pandemic were also suitably stored and discarded now and then, increasing our contributions to the waste pile.
Organizations contribute an immense measure of e-waste, and before, many basically took it to the landfill or had it wrongfully dumped. Knowing that it has severe consequences on the climate, organizations must discover new, feasible ways of dealing with e-waste. Making fixes, tracking down a legitimate recycling organization, giving away old products in charity, and eliminating new purchases as much as possible are only a couple of ways organizations can deal with their e-waste issue.
How this assist with positively affecting climate?
The most self-evident, yet most prominent advantage of reusing e-waste is the positive effect it has on our current environment. Numerous electronic gadgets contain heavy metals like lead and mercury, which can be very harmful to both the land and water. Reusing these gadgets guarantees materials don’t wind up in landfill and are rather effectively and securely repurposed, recovered, and recycled.
Electronic gadgets likewise contain non-sustainable assets, which, whenever reused accurately, can be recovered, and yet again utilized in the assembling of new items. These assets incorporate steel, aluminum, copper, and gold — also a lot of plastic that can be transformed into new items. Reusing e-waste gives these materials a new purpose, while unloading e-waste in landfill only implies new raw material needs to be gathered for the manufacturing.
Refurbishing must be seen as a civic obligation. This isn’t simply gainful for the climate but has now become an expectation of our modern-day shoppers, customers, and employees.
It not only saves a lot of investment, but there are also many other advantages of e-waste refurbishing for a business. One of the significant advantages is that it keeps those electronic goods loaded with dangerous synthetic compounds out of the landfills. Just by reusing one computer and CRT screen, you can save an equivalent of 21 gallons of gas and decrease greenhouse outflows by 404 pounds.
Old and unused electronic gadgets are regularly sitting in our homes or offices. Not exclusively does refurbishing them benefits the environment — by decreasing landfill and the need to source new raw materials —it likewise keeps from contributing to the clutter!
Is refurbishing better as compared to recycling?
Recycling is an insufficient way of managing e-waste since only a 5% of such waste is recycled in the process. More than 95% of e-waste in India finds its way to scrap sellers who with little respect for the climate extricate the most significant parts from such waste.
The pivotal distinction between recycling and refurbishing is in the former components are separated and reused while in the latter parts in working condition are used to build new gadgets. Subsequently refurbishing is better for the climate on the grounds that even powerful recycling processes produce some waste. Since many materials can’t be recycled continually, a lot of e-waste ultimately becomes totally futile to recyclers. Refurbishing, hence, is viable since functioning parts can be reused in new items indefinitely.
Is refurbished a solution to our problems?
To relieve the ecological, social, and economic effect of our activities, there is a dire need for us to shift towards a circular economy for e-waste management. At the end of the day, it is an ideal opportunity to zero in on re-fusing refurbished devices.
About 50% non-sustainable components utilized in mobile phones don’t make it back through recycling. Refurbishing them won’t just assist with saving these valuable assets tuned in for repurpose, it will likewise lessen the carbon footprints and the additional costs.
For buyers being aspirational for brands like Apple or Samsung, refurbished electronic goods come at fairly discounted costs, between 25-5-percent. Trusted online merchants give a substantial receipt and a warranty for the purchase as well. So, customers can rest assure that the gadgets and extras are not defective/phony or false.
A benefit of refurbishing e-waste is older parts can replace new ones without compromising the nature of recently made hardware. Customers in affection with innovation will not see any distinction in quality when they purchase another electronic item made utilizing refurbished e-waste. For this to work on a grand scale, the individuals who recycle should repurchase gadgets while manufacturers should utilize second-hand items to produce new gadgets.
Conclusion
For the benefit of our environment, organizations should discover new, sustainable ways of taking care of e-waste. Business owners, financial investors, scholastics, and officials should be expected to make the circular economy work. Inventive business ideas and reverse supply chain models, circular plans for e-waste and methods of making the unorganized e-waste management sector are some of the most important aspects of an action plan we need right now.