Keyboards or smartphones may look harmless from the outside, but when they are broken down, the internal parts can have dangerous effects. It is proven that e-waste is grave and injurious.

E-waste contains dangerous and harmful chemicals. Some of them are lead, cadmium, mercury etc. These toxic materials pose a threat to human health. Presence of these materials in the environments causes breathing problem, nervous disorder, a different type of allergies and cancers, blood anemia, physical and mental weakness and many other dangerous diseases.

The health risks range from the less risky to fatal and with very little landmass to process waste, Singaporean authority encouraged private companies, schools, retailers, and households to minimize, segregate and recycle their e-waste.

All e-waste contains small amounts of hazardous materials, ranging from heavy metals such as lead found in TVs and mercury in batteries, to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chloro-fluorocarbons found in refrigerators. These are known as hazardous wastes.

The numbers show an uphill in the amount of e-waste collected over the years. A total of 2,700 kilograms was collected in 2012, 6,500 kilograms in 2013, and a total of 8,700 kilograms in 2014.

In 2016, 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste was released. This is equal to the weight of almost 9 Great Pyramids of Giza.

In 2017, about 60,000 tonnes of e-waste was generated. This is equal to the weight of 320 Airbus A380 aeroplanes.

Singapore is one of the most popular developed countries in the world. It is expected that Singapore will also be among the top consumers of the latest in technological advancements, as a technological hub in Asia.

However, as every rose has its thorn, the issue in this situation, is the issue of electronic waste and hazardous waste disposal and proper management.

One advantage of Singapore is that it is the second smallest country in Asia. It has a total land area of 697 square kilometres, and so it is easy for the discarding of the waste. There is a less population so there is less production of waste from each home so the amount of e-waste generated yearly here is matchless even though electronic device ownership is close to 100 per cent, the analysts said. It may not have a very advanced way of management but, is still managing to get rid of the waste.

The country’s limited space also means it is rarely used as a dumping ground for e-waste from developed nations. Full bloomed countries in Asia which are bigger have stricter regulations for e-waste dumping and are typically the preferred destinations.

Upon that, there is full cooperation from the Singaporean government. They launched guidelines that will help companies in recycling their e-waste.

1. Maintaining high levels of health.
2. Optimizing resource utilization in the waste disposal system.

Responsibility is vital in this case and scenario. It may not make a difference now, but it will make a huge impact in the future.

That small step can help lessen the toxic e-waste footprints we leave on this planet.

The consumer survey had found that e-waste was generally given to deliverymen to cart away, or thrown in the garbage. Such items could reach scrap traders, who do not have the skills to properly recycle these items and could end up releasing harmful chemical compounds or throwing them with general waste. Or even worse, burn them which would add to carbon emissions and contaminate the ash. This would increase the rate of the rapid growth of earth’s temperature, in other words, global warming.

Checkmate!

If this responsibility is given to reputable and professional E-waste and hazardous waste recyclers, it would benefit the environment and society. It would also result in economic growth because of the more job opportunities.

So, the Singaporean government and the public are working together hand in hand.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” 

-Helen Keller.

It was a foggy day, and the mist-covered almost everything the eye could see. My alarm rang, and this is when my bad day began. Having an alarm that plays rock music in the early morning is a sign that you love your bed and your sleep. I loved to sleep and I could sleep for an entire year if I could. Every day, I get freshened up, spend half an hour in the bathroom, run to the bus station nearby and get on a public bus. There would be times when I forgot to lock my house and run back. I would end up missing my bus.
One day, I had to go to Hyderguda for a meeting. It is 36 kilometers away from where I live. So, I took a public bus as always. This time, it was hard to even get on because there was such a rush, everyone was trying to get on. I almost got pushed under the bus. At last, I hopped on. The air was so humid. Everyone was sweating so much. Everyone’s shirts were so wet. I thought there was a water tank on top of me. I couldn’t even believe how much I was sweating.
Then, few of the seats got empty and I sat on one of them. It was a roller-coaster. Soon, I got used to it. Every time the bus slowed down, I held tight to my seat. Then there was a speed-breaker and everyone standing went flying onto somebody and finally, they sat on someone sitting on one of the seats. As expected, I reached my destination two hours later. I missed my meeting. There was a huge possibility of me losing my job.
Now, looking back, I should’ve just booked a cab. I regretted my decision. I should’ve considered some another option.

Beauty or brain? she was asked.

Beautiful brain, she replied.