The world is advancing by leaps and bounds towards a gradually more technological society, in which technology is increasingly democratic and its use is widespread globally. Technological advances carry many advantages, but also entail a series of disadvantages and risks. Among them, the imperative need to improve the management of electronic waste stands out.
Electronic devices make our lives simpler, their progressive price reduction has caused that even in poor countries there is such an abundance of these instruments that their waste constitutes a growing global problem.
Another factor to consider is that currently household appliances and electronic devices generally last less, due to the planned obsolescence, and are not usually repaired, since their arrangement involves a higher cost than replacing them with a new one.
Cell phones, computers, consoles, monitors, mice, music players, keyboards, telephones, televisions, video recorders and obsolete video games are part of the more than 300,000 tons of electronic waste produced each year.
The problem is that, electronic equipment that is no longer used is improperly disposed in sanitary landfills, controlled landfills or clandestine open-air dumps, and only in a few cases undergo material recovery processes.
Sometimes we do not realize the potential contaminant of these devices. For example, a poorly recycled refrigerator pollutes the atmosphere with effects with greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of a car on a 15,000-kilometer course.
As consumers, we can ask ourselves if we really need a new appliance or maybe we can extend the life of those we use. Before changing it to a new one, let's reflect on whether the one we currently have meets our needs and if we really need another one that may have many functions that we will never use.
Another strategy is to reuse these devices. That an appliance is no longer useful to us does not mean that it does not have other potential users. Going to second-hand stores, donating electronic devices to friends and family or NGOs are also actions that help avoid electronic waste.
Recycling is also an appropriate option, when the product no longer works and there is no possibility of being used by someone close, we must recycle it.
To do this, we can use the same stores where we buy the new appliance that supplies it, since by law they are obliged to pick up the old one, regardless of brand or model.
