Two Faces of Computer : The Advantages and Disadvantages Computer
Countries around the globe are rapidly gaining increased Advantages access to information technology, spurred on in part by surging domestic economies and the recognition by consumers of the benefits of access to information and global communication. Annual global mobile phone sales first topped one billion in 2006 and are likely to do so again in 2008. It is 27 years since the advent of the personal home computer and one billion PCs will be in use worldwide in 2008. Remarkably, over the next five years, this number is estimated to increase to two billion. According to a study (Forrester Research Inc.), Brazil, Russia, India and China will have more than 775 million new PCs by 2015, with China going from 55 million in 2007 to 500 million by 2015.
- As countries gain the advantages of increased access to information technology, they also face challenges the disadvantages of computer
As countries gain the advantages of increased access to information technology, they also face challenges the disadvantages of computer, in managing electronic products at their end-of-use. While recent studies have shown that ICT equipment makes up a small percentage of the overall compositional breakdown fo waste electrical and electronic equipment in many countries (e.g. 8% in the EU in 2005), there are significant opportunities to capture value in used and end-of-use PCs and related equipment. Awareness and interest from consumers in efficient new technologies will continue to drive inefficient and old equipment into disuse, opening opportunities for recycling entrepreneur.
The Disadvantages of Computer Recycling
Computer recycling has some specific challenges. At the least, you must sort and organize discarded materials. Communities have to deal with the logistics of getting these materials to responsible recyclers. Hardware becomes rapidly obsolete, producing large streams of e-waste. Electronic components contain a variety of hazardous substances that need special handling. To get to the parts for recycling, technicians must disassemble the computers in a laborious process.
Hazardous Materials
According to the Environmental Protection Agency publication “WasteWise Update,” computer components may contain a variety of hazardous metals, including lead, cadmium and arsenic. Older cathode-ray tube monitors have lead-coated glass. Newer flat-panel displays with fluorescent backlighting contain traces of mercury. In addition to the metals, computer makers have used chemicals called brominated flame retardants in plastics, which scientists have implicated in developmental disorders. Since they deal with broken and dismantled computers, recyclers and waste haulers receive direct exposure to these hazardous materials.
Fraud
Computer recycling has seen some fraudulent business practices. The Basel Action Network reports that an Oklahoma-based company partnered with non-profit community groups in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and collected computers for recycling, then illegally shipped the equipment to China for dismantling in an impoverished region, with poor oversight. Unsupervised recycling operations there exposed people to high levels of toxic materials in exchange for cheap labor.
Dismantling
Computers consist of hundreds of components and assemblies. A used market exists for some, but to get to any of them, the recyclers must have trained labor to dismantle the computers. A guide published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization describes some of the complexities involved in computer dismantling. As workers disassemble computers, they must identify and test components, such as RAM modules, they can resell.
Some computer recyclers charge fees for accepting some kinds of equipment. This pays for the extra costs of taking computers apart and handling hazardous materials. CRT monitors, in particular, have no significant used-market demand and contain lead, adding to the difficulty of their disposal.
Modern recycling facilities are equipped with technologies that can handle these processes with minimal risks to the environment and worker health, while also ensuring the added environmental benefit of optimal recovery of materials. These treatment methods, however, are expensive and lend themselves to economies of scale. Financial constraints for electronics recycling, both in terms of the quantity of available recyclable material and profit margins, will prevent the construction and operation of a stateof-the-art facility in all countries. It is therefore often necessary to move certain materials to countries having the capacity to provide environmentally sound management.
A Challenge Facing The Disadvantages of Computer Recycling
A Challenge Facing The Disadvantages of Computer Recycling is how to develop an appropriate framework to ensure that the materials that cannot be managed by the informal sector in an environmentally sound manner are sent to countries with the capacity to do so in a way that is attractive and profitable to all stakeholders.
