Ankitha Lavu Individual Project

Currently, e-waste is a huge problem in our world, and often the way to start making a difference is in our own community of Greensboro, North Carolina. Firstly, I am sure you are all wondering why you should care. Well, according to the United Nations, there are over fifty million tons of e-waste produced yearly, and the overall cost of this is around 62.5 billion dollars. Even with recycling efforts, less than twenty percent of this waste is recycled. Not only do the growing amounts of e-waste cause a health risk, they also present a huge economic liability. Currently, e-waste contains about seven percent of the world’s gold. In order to start resolving this problem, we can start making changes locally. In Guilford County, there is an app called GSO Collects, which contains specific dates for e-waste collection, as well as reputable recycling plants that are available throughout the city. In addition, there is a website that has information for where to go for e-waste recycling, including companies such as Best Buy that collect second hand electronics. Several things we can do on an individual level is to reduce our consumption of electronics, and thoroughly use electronics before purchasing new ones. In addition, it is important to consider repairing any issues before buying a new device, and to buy second hand electronics rather than newer ones. We should also recycle old e-waste, so that it does not end up in landfills, contaminating the environment. There are several biotechnological methods to gather heavy metals from e-waste, so that mining for these metals is reduced. Biotechnology refers to the use of biological processes to help us, in this case, allowing us to recycle e-waste in a more efficient manner.