The Singaporean public need to be aware of the importance
of the proper disposal of electronic equipment or E-waste. This could be
batteries, desktop, laptop, mobile phones, etc. E-waste is made up of metal and
plastic components and also contains small amounts of heavy metals and
substances of concern. An example of the dangers of throwing away E-waste
irresponsibly would be the disposal of fridges and air conditioners which
contain refrigerants to enable cooling to take place but also contribute to ozone
layer depletion or climate change (NEA, 2015). Thus it is very important to
ensure the correct disposal of these Electronic waste to protect the
environment.
It is important to dispose of E-waste correctly
and there are methods put in place to do so. The public should take the
initiative to use these methods to ensure that E-waste and domestic waste and
disposed of separately. E-waste should be recycled through proper channels. The
majority of Singaporeans bind unwanted phones and batteries along with their
domestic waste. Singapore does not have formal laws regulating E-waste but have
a good recycling and second hand market. Major companies such as StarHub, DHL
and TES-AMM have some prominent E-waste recycling programmes that could be used
more if more people knew about it. The e-waste is collected by DHL and then sent
to the TES-AMM e-waste recycling facility to be then broken down. Other companies that
also offer E-waste recycling programmes include Singtel, Dell, Panasonic, and
HP, who offer individuals and businesses a way to dispose of electronic goods
the correct way. Thus, it is in my opinion that I believe that E-waste
recycling should in fact become a law initiated by the government in order to
ensure that E-waste is being disposed of correctly.
Once the government creates a law that requires
people to dispose of electronic wastes through throwing them into electronic
waste bins, people will be forced to be responsible about throwing their
electronic wastes into the appropriate channels and this will reduce the
wastage of rare metals found in electronic waste. On top of that harmful
substances will not leak into the environment which could happen if people simple
throw their electronic waste in domestic bins and taken to landfills. These electronic
waste bins could be situated along with the recycle bins in HDB estates. This will
make it convenient for people to used these bins and they will be more inclined
to the idea as they see these bins around which would also stand for being a
reminder for people to appropriately dispose of E-waste. When the Singaporean
public is informed on how they can dispose of their E-waste properly, they
would think twice before throwing their unwanted electronic waste into a
regular bin.
In conclusion, it is important to dispose of
E-waste through E-waste recycling channels so as to protect our environment and
save rare materials that could be reused. To encourage people to do so, a law
has to be made and convenient methods need to be put in place for people to
recycle their E-waste. People should also be informed about the issue in order
to change behaviors.
References
NEA (2015)
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WHAT
HAPPENS TO E-WASTE?
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