How Switzerland Is Winning The Battle Against E-waste

Switzerland Is Winning The Battle Against E-Waste  

By ITU News 

A small bunch of old mobile phones – different makes and models, every different size and hues – lay in a dim bucket. They are going to be chopped into a great many unrecognizable pieces. 

These outdated and unused devices will be given a second life as recycled e-waste. However, numerous phones won't.

The developing challenge of e-waste 

As indicated by the latest estimates, the world disposes of approximately 50 million metric huge amounts of e-waste every year. E-waste is loaded with unsafe material – including mercury, cadmium, and lead – that can cause damage to human health and the environment if not managed properly. E-waste Company In Noida.

Yet, just 20 percent of worldwide e-waste is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, burned or illegally traded every year – or isn't recycled in any way.

In Switzerland alone, a nation with a populace of simply 8.4 million people, there are an estimated 8-10 million smartphones lying unused in homes all through the nation. 

"It's generally emotional; people are very sentimental about their cell phones," said Lovey Wymann, Interchanges for Swico, Switzerland's computerized e-waste agency. 

Great collection culture 

But, Switzerland is a genuine example of how to deal with the developing environmental issue. 

Despite being one of the biggest worldwide producers of e-waste – delivering 184 kilotons in 2016 – the nation collects and recycles about 75 percent of this discarded material, with 134 kilotonnes recovered in 2015. When it comes specifically to computerized e-waste (for example, mobile phones and other devices), the recycling rate in 2018 was as high as 95 percent.

Related: Let's rethink e-waste, and pave the path to a waste-free economy for electronics

This is because of a solid and convenient intentional 'take-back' system, where consumers can take e-waste to a dedicated recycling collection point or any electronic shop that sells the same type of equipment all through the nation. E-waste Company In Noida.

Recycling challenge #1 – dangerous products 

Despite the fact that the Swiss system can be considered a role model for e-waste recycling management, it faces the same worldwide challenges as every country. 

"Recycling e-waste has consistently been very challenging," said Markus Stengele, Head of Value, Environment, and Safety at the e-waste recycling office Solenthaler Recycling AG (Soren) in St. Gallen, north-east Switzerland. 

"At the moment, everyone is zeroing in on lithium-particle batteries. We have the problem that they aren't easy to take out and they self-ignite. This makes it more dangerous for the people working at the office and moving the material," Stengele said. E-waste Company In Noida.