Managing The E-Waste

Waste management is a big problem that the world is facing, and when it is the problem of managing e-waste waste it rather requires a specialist approach. But this is also a situation where people really care less about the management of e-waste. It won’t be surprising if people are found to be unaware of this concept in the first place. No matter what the understanding of the people is, we cannot ignore the fact that e-waste is actually a big problem in the world that we are living in, and this problem is only going to increase in the near future, if some substantial steps aren’t taken to check it. In this blog we will focus on this problem and try to figure out how this problem of e-waste collection Singapore can be reduced from the customer as well as the manufacturer’s point of view.

Understanding E-Waste

If we want to figure out the definition of e-waste, we can see it all around us, it might be lying in your drawers, closets or anywhere in your house or your workspace that is the unused or discarded electronics and electrical devices. It may be anything from wires, cords, broken buttons, thrown away PCs, discarded laptops, even earpods, headphones, or even chargers. All these things constitute e-waste. When they are left to lie down just like that in our surroundings, which is actually a general practice, these also harm our environment in a manner that we cannot imagine. The problem is that we tend to associate pollution with rotting something, but e-waste’s effect on the environment is somewhat like plastics which will definitely take years to degrade but will release its effects pretty soon. The problem with e-waste or shall we say that what makes it more dangerous is the fact that they also have radioactive capabilities because of the chemicals that are used in the batteries. This can be viewed as one of the prime reasons why this problem of e-waste should be taken seriously.

What can be done?

When we talk about the sustainable ways of dealing e-waste problem then the first thing we are preferably doable is that there should be a check on the reckless buying of the new gadgets. Now to counter this point, many will argue that what if they have some problem with their present device. We want to inform all those that there are a lot of chances that whatever problem your present device is facing may be very repairable, but most of the time the users prefer to buy the new devices straightaway without even giving a thought to the idea of repair, in spite of the fact, that a considerable amount goes into buying a new device and only half of the price sometimes even less is to paid for a repair. So what could be the reason to buy a brand new devices, some reasons could be:

• Absence of quality driven repair shop– Many will have this problem, which is actually a genuine problem, but many repair centers provide online services as well. They will collect the device from your house and then return it back to after repair.
• Fake replacements: This is yet another issue, that sometimes the repair means that your devices will have to undergo some type of replacement, and you have a doubt that the replacement will not be done with genuine parts which will ultimately be of no use.
• Easy to Buy: Despite high costs, people will choose to buy a new device because it is easy that way. All they have to do is surf a couple of websites and they will get what they want.

How can the issue be solved?

Issues can be solved once we focus on the problems faced by the customers. The pace at which new electronics are launched in the market show that even the manufacturers are ok with purchase being preferred over repair. But they are equally responsible for the increasing issue of e-waste collection in Singapore. The manufacturer must pay attention towards improving their repair services and more than that increasing the availability of the repair shops. The more the increase in the repair shops and too the ones which deliver quality the more chances that people will prefer repairs.

The manufacturers can also do one more thing that they can promise their customers that if they face any issue with the device and want to buy a new one, then first they should return their old device to the manufactures so that they can refurbish the device and give it for sale.

It is very important to understand that the problem of e-waste collection Singapore can be solved only with us being very aware of our actions. It is all about a change in the attitude that we have towards the old devices. The change in approach will definitely help us to this issue in a sustainable way.