Trending Up or Down? The Rapid Changes in Solutions for E-Waste

With the development of new solutions all around us, one question lingers. What’s the impact of these solutions on the future of e-waste?

To say that the idea of e-waste disposal is recent would be nothing short of the truth- the term was emerging with the technological boom in the 70s. Yet, our plans to tackle the concept have changed with time. Although the period of 60 years of e-waste disposal history seems short, a lot of technology in our world has significantly differed from its older counterparts.

What is a trend?

A trend, simply put, is a pattern or general direction over a period of time. The trends for e-waste have changed significantly since the conception of the term. Here are some of the newer trends when it comes to e-waste recycling:

1. Eco-Design and Circular Economy: This is certainly an older principle, but one that is as prevalent as the up-and-coming trends. As mentioned in previous blogs, the circular economy is a model that utilizes the ideas of reusing and zero-waste by repurposing products that may not serve their original purpose anymore.
2. Robotics and Automation: Don’t worry- they’re not taking our jobs for this case. Robots can help speed up the process of sorting through e-waste by disassembling devices, handling toxic materials within electronics, and improving safety protocols for humans.
3. Business Models for E-Waste Management: Now that the concept of e-waste is more and more common, major companies worldwide are taking responsibility to retrace their steps. Take-back, refurbishment, and resale programs help encourage devices to find more shelf life. In addition, the concept of EPR, more commonly known as Extended Producer Responsibility, has been emerging recently as a way for technology companies to place longevity in mind when creating devices.
4. Biotechnology: Sometimes, taking out certain components of a device can be difficult. Therefore, microorganisms have been re-engineered to target and recover specific materials in the internals of the device. This trend is something that is more in development, but with the right resources, it could be a trend that is widely implemented across the e-waste industry.
5. Nanotechnology: Nanomaterials are defined as materials sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. Because of this incomprehensibly small size, they contain properties such as the ability to attach certain materials to their structure. By increasing the surface area of said components, the removal of them becomes infinitely easier.

What do trends ensure?

Trends ensure that progress is being made. All trends aren’t necessarily positive. For example, the amount of e-waste being accumulated is trending higher and higher every year. What we can do is figure out and research more of these positive trends to ensure that our e-waste is being adequately handled. Many of the trends listed above are ones that are works in progress. Only time will tell whether they will have a net gain help towards the problem of e-waste. Simply put, that’s the cyclic nature of trends. One implemented trend doesn’t work, and we innovators take it upon ourselves to find the root of the problem and develop a new solution. The same goes for if a trend works- if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

A lot of the trends listed, funnily enough, are tackling the problem of wasting technology, with more technology. Technology is all around us, and it’s something that we need to use. But, we often shadow its side effects on the environment. Not only is this a problem, it’s a malfunction in the human way of thinking- a negative trend.