Environmental Issues

The disposal of waste is fast becoming a worldwide concern.  The hazards posed by toxic wastes on the environment should be cause for alarm.  Electronic waste is one the more notorious of the worlds hazardous wastes due to the fact that electronic and electrical material or e-waste contains lead, cadmium, mercury and a lot of other chemicals.  These substances can seep through the soil and eventually be harmful to the environment in the long run.  To address the concern of the continual accretion of e-waste, governments have joined forces in salvaging possible materials which can be reduced, re-used and recycled from this waste mountain.

Statement of the Problem  What action is being done to address the problem of Electrical Waste The author employs an objective and exploratory research method in presenting this paper.  The author enumerates varied ideas from different sources to answer the research problem.  As it is, the article presents a single subject and the ideas cohere and address only one main issue.  However, the presentation of the data needs much improvement due to the lack of a systematic sequencing of data and organization.  An example of this would be the introductory part where the author starts the piece with a statement on metals and the move to recycle.  My initial reaction as a reader would be to ask myself what significance does this paper have for me, and this kind of introduction does not answer this question.  Another example is the 4th paragraph where the author goes on to say that one driving force behind e-scrap recycling is the EU WEEE directive.  The author does not tackle the definition of what the EU WEEE definition is, or what its provisions are or what implication it would have on the reader.  The author merely presumes that the reader knows about it and leaves it up to the reader to research on the subject.

The data should have been presented in a more progressive manner  that is, Introduction, Definition of Terms, Pertinent Facts, Initial Findings, Legislations, Actions Taken and Conclusion.

Almost all the information cited by the author are essential and worth noting.  Everything from the short background info on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), to initiatives taken, to the legislations passed and the list of countries which are actively participating in this endeavor.  The author also cites quotes from officials in organizations who are vigilantly taking part in this advocacy, thus giving more credence to this work.  There is also sufficient reference given to targets which have been met and even exceeded, which are parallel to the goals set by this research.  Current trends are also mentioned, like the implementation of the takeback fee given by manufacturers for the price of new equipment, as an incentive for the buyer to recycle.  In addition, this paper cites that there are no available figures to determine the  quantity of e-scrap material generated and recycled both in Europe and in the US.  Another significant observation is that the data given by the author is principally focused on the initiatives conducted in Europe.  Some information was also given on the USA and Japan but such data cannot be all-inclusive.          

In conclusion, it can be said that the initial efforts towards addressing the problem on electrical waste have been fruitful.  However, this study is limited in scope since there were no data obtained from other countries.  Furthermore, the data from the UN Summit on Climate Change may also prove to be useful for the author since this study is related to the summits main issue, and there were more participants in this conference.  Further studies can be done on how e-waste is recycled in other locations, and other breakthrough procedures being discovered to cut-down on the total waste production worldwide.