In government regulation (PP) Number 101 of 2014 concerning The Management of Hazardous and Toxic Materials Waste (B3) states that electronic waste management must be carried out specifically by parties who have permits only.
It can be seen that the number of electronic users today exceeds the number of people around the world. The tendency to dispose of old products and buy new products thus creates problems for the emergence of electronic waste.
The challenge in managing electronic waste is the presence of components categorized as B3, one of which is heavy metal. In addition, the presence of persistent organic compounds that are naturally difficult to decompose biologically.
Minimizing the amount of electronic waste is one of the best ways that can be done by the community to keep the environment safe. Check out the explanation of the impact and steps to reduce electronic waste that you can do.
In addition to containing harmful chemical compounds, electronic waste causes environmental damage that is not anointed with a short time, including:
- Soil pollution: heavy metals contained in electronics as food chains because they are absorbed by plants from the soil.
- Air pollution: caused by burning cables can release hydrocarbons in the atmosphere
- Water pollution: Electronic devices containing toxic metals such as mercury, lithium and lead if disposed of improperly will mix with groundwater, ponds and lakes. Indirectly, people depend on consuming water sources.
Quoting from Zero Waste Indonesia, the steps we can take to reduce electronic waste are increasing as follows:
- Buy according to your needs
- Trying to repair electronic damage
- Donate your unused electronics
- Delivering electronic waste to the right place
By learning to repair electronics at home, it can add a detailed understanding of electronic devices.
Source:
Zero Waste Indonesia, Merdeka.com, Katadata