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Electronic Engineering News Digest |
COMPONENT NEWS | INDUSTRY NEWS | RoHS/WEEE NEWS |
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Eight steps to China RoHS complianceChina RoHS is significantly different from the European Union's RoHS directive; however, there are significant benefits that can be gained by leveraging your company's compliance strategies for meeting the EU RoHS requirements. [Read more...] |
The trouble with computers is that once they become old and obsolete, they turn from being useful electronic products to hazardous waste objects given the fact that they are made from components that can cause the environment some harm because of the toxic content in them. It is believed that as many as three fourths of old and obsolete computers need to be disposed off and this will surely lead to a big issue for not only the advanced nations of the Western world, but for the world as a whole.
The more new innovative electronic products that are entering the market in a steady stream, the more the need arises to recycle obsolete items such as computers, which makes it a cause of worry even for the local landfills that may not be able to handle high volumes. Since there are many millions of computers in need of being recycled, the environment is coming under threat from such high quantity of waste as well as from the toxins released.
Because of emerging new computer models that are fast making your existing computer become obsolete, the need for finding a solution to e-waste has become paramount for us. Computer recycling means saving some the parts from the obsolete computers while getting rid of those parts that are toxic in nature. You would be surprised to know that there are millions of computers becoming obsolete each year and these are known to contain dangerous material like cadmium, barium, lead as well as mercury.
Landfills are not the ideal place to dump your obsolete computer as the dangerous materials such lead, cadmium and barium could get stuck into the ground and even enter the food as well as water thus exacerbating the problem to not only the environment, but also to the health of us humans. The matter is serious enough given the fact that most families may be having more than one obsolete computer stashed away in their garage waiting to be recycled.
This means that there must be a proper way to recycle the old and obsolete computers, so that we can get rid of them without putting ourselves as well as the environment to harm. Computer recycling is not made any easier because there is really not enough incentive to make the effort and you may have to pay a pretty sum of money to have the material collected, handled as well as processed. You may end up paying between ten and fewer than a hundred dollars for each recycled computer.
The most common means of computer recycling is to donate your computer to outfits that may be there as non-profit organizations, or to those who refurbish computers. In any case, the need for manufacturers to come up with computers that do not contain such high levels of hazardous material in the computer is also something that needs to be actively pursued in the not too distant future.
Donations means that the computers will be used further which will prolong their life and not add to the already voluminous e-waste currently plaguing the world today. Reuse of materials will reduce the burden of disposal of computers that have hazardous properties is not only beneficial to the environment but also results in cheaper means of producing new products.
Original text is here