{"id":1816,"date":"2023-02-02T11:48:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T09:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/?p=1816"},"modified":"2024-06-12T11:28:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T09:28:37","slug":"environmental-impact-of-e-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/environmental-impact-of-e-waste","title":{"rendered":"Environmental impact of e-waste"},"content":{"rendered":" \n    <div class=\"c-post--header\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/raees-materiales-scaled.jpg);\">\n        <a href=\"\" class=\"c-back-action\">\n            Go back        <\/a>\n        <h1>Environmental impact of e-waste<\/h1>\n\t\t<p class=\"c-post--author\">\n\t\t\tAuthor:\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/author\/scrapad-admin\/\">ScrapAd<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n        <div class=\"c-post--meta\">\n            <p>02\/02\/2023<\/p>\n            <div class=\"c-post--actions\">\n                <a onclick=\"window.print()\" class=\"c-article__action\">\n                    <i class=\"large material-icons icon\">print<\/i>\n                <\/a>\n                <a data-clipboard-text=\"\" class=\"c-article__action\">\n                    <i class=\"large material-icons icon\">content_copy<\/i>\n                <\/a>\n                <span class=\"c-article__action share__trigger\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"large material-icons icon\">share<\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"share__displays\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/facebook.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/twitter.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=&amp;title=&amp;summary=&amp;source=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/linkedin.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"mailto:info@scrapad.com?&amp;cc=&amp;bcc=&amp;subject=&amp;body=\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/email.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n\n \n    <section class=\"c-container \" style=\" background-color: #FBFBFB; background-size: cover; --xsPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --smPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --mdPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --lgPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --xlPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --xxlPadding: 80px 200px 80px 200px;  \">\n        \n<div class=\"wp-block-scrapad-blocks-container c-post\">\n<div class=\"c-article__desc wp-block-scrapad-blocks-article-desc\">\n<p>WEEE or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/electronics-scrap-weee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">e-waste<\/a>, as we have already mentioned in other posts, is the&nbsp;<strong>set of electrical and electronic equipment that is discarded, including its by-products or consumables<\/strong>. This time we are going to talk about the&nbsp;<strong>environmental impact of e-waste<\/strong>&nbsp;and its correct management.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmental impact of e-waste<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These electrical and electronic devices are a&nbsp;<strong>collection of materials and components, which may contain heavy metals and chemicals that are hazardous to the environment as well as to human and animal life<\/strong>. As an example, a mobile phone contains between 500 and 1,000 different components, including toxic substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore,&nbsp;<strong>some of them are considered hazardous waste because they contain materials<\/strong>&nbsp;(such as mercury or nickel)&nbsp;<strong>that are highly polluting and harmful to human health and the environment<\/strong>.&nbsp;These include, according to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/what-is-a-ewl-code-and-what-is-it-for\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EWL code<\/a>, CRT monitors and screens, air conditioners, discharge lamps, non-LED lamps and fluorescent lamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why it is very important to manage these wastes properly, through authorised management channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hazardous components in WEEE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let&#8217;s see what are those&nbsp;<strong>toxic substances and components that are found inside WEEE and which are dangerous<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cadmium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cadmium is a&nbsp;<strong>metal belonging to the transition element group<\/strong>, considered highly toxic, as it has the ability to accumulate in the environment. It is obtained as a&nbsp;<strong>by-product in the refining of&nbsp;minerals<\/strong>&nbsp;such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/zinc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zinc<\/a>, and can be found in&nbsp;<strong>rechargeable computer batteries, electrical contacts and watches<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nickel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/nickel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nickel<\/a>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;<strong>very abundant chemical element<\/strong>, making up about 0.008% of the earth&#8217;s crust. It can cause effects on the pulmonary and respiratory system, allergies or irritation, as well as being&nbsp;<strong>carcinogenic<\/strong>. It is considered toxic if it is in the form of inorganic nickel compounds in their oxidised, sulphated or soluble form. In other words, if poorly treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mercury<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This other naturally occurring chemical element is found in the rock of the earth&#8217;s crust. It is&nbsp;<strong>commonly used in flat screen monitors as a lighting device and in non-rechargeable batteries<\/strong>. In terms of its level of danger, mercury&nbsp;<strong>can affect the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the lungs and cause damage to the kidneys and eyesight<\/strong>. It is toxic even at very low levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beryllium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Beryllium is a bivalent, toxic, grey, hard, light, brittle, bivalent alkaline earth chemical element. It is&nbsp;<strong>used in switches, transmitters and connectors<\/strong>. It is classified by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UN<\/a>&nbsp;as a&nbsp;<strong>carcinogen<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>inhalation of beryllium fumes and dusts can cause lung disease<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lithium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/lithium\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lithium<\/a>&nbsp;is also a&nbsp;<strong>chemical element that is considered dangerous as it causes nervous system disorders, respiratory failure and nausea<\/strong>. It is often used in&nbsp;<strong>batteries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WEEE management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WEEE and electronic waste often end up in landfills. WEEE, if not disposed of in the right places and not treated in recycling plants,&nbsp;<strong>decomposes and releases the toxic substances it contains into the soil or water, triggering impacts on the environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WEEE is then transferred to an authorised manager, who sorts, stores, dismantles and decontaminates it. Afterwards,&nbsp;<strong>the material that can be used<\/strong>&nbsp;(plastic,&nbsp;glass,&nbsp;metals, etc.) is separated from the non-recyclable materials by shredding and reducing each material in a different way. What is recovered (up to 90% in the case of mobile phones, for example) is used as material to produce new parts or products. This is what the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/benefits-of-a-circular-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">circular economy<\/a>&nbsp;is based on, on saving raw materials that are extracted in the first place.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-e-waste-recycling-weee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Recycling e-waste<\/a>&nbsp;is therefore essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope this post about the&nbsp;<strong>impact of e-waste on the environment<\/strong>&nbsp;has interested you. From ScrapAd, as a platform for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scrap metal trading<\/a>&nbsp;and other materials, we want to promote the proper management of any type of waste. Get to know us!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n    \n\n    <div class=\"c-container c-post--related\" style=\"background-color: #F7F5F2; --xsPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --smPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --mdPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --lgPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px; --xlPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px; --xxlPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px;\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <h3 class=\"c-article__side__heading\">Other posts that may interest you\u2026<\/h3>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"scrapad-blocks-related glide\" data-autoplay=\"4000\" data-views-desktop=\"3\" data-views-tablet=\"2\" data-views-mobile=\"1\" data-mode=\"slider\">  \n            <div class=\"container glide__track\" data-glide-el=\"track\">\n                <div class=\"row slider-mobile glide__slides\">\n                                                                         \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/innovation-in-metal-recycling-artificial-intelligence-robotics-and-emerging-technologies\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/02_58J0671_2-0d3c326ba40c12cc.jpeg;\"\n                ><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item_body\">\n                    <h4 class=\"c-blog__item__title\">Innovation in metal recycling: Artificial intelligence, robotics, and emerging technologies<\/h4>\n                    <div class=\"c-blog__item__meta\">\n                        <span class=\"c-blog__item__date\">18\/03\/2025<\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__desc\">\n                    <p>In the UK, waste management is regulated by a number of pieces of legislation that set out specific obligations for waste brokers and dealers. They play crucial roles in the waste management chain and must comply with the following legal responsibilities.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                     \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/how-the-recycling-process-works\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cadena-del-reciclaje.jpg;\"\n                ><\/div>\n               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do not have a negative impact on our environment.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                     \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/differences-between-recycling-and-reuse\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/diferencias-reciclaje-reutilizacion.png;\"\n                ><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item_body\">\n                    <h4 class=\"c-blog__item__title\">Differences between recycling and reuse<\/h4>\n                    <div class=\"c-blog__item__meta\">\n                        <span class=\"c-blog__item__date\">08\/07\/2024<\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__desc\">\n                    <p>Very often we hear the terms recycling and reuse used indifferently, when in fact there are big differences between them.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                            <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n    <\/div>\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WEEE or e-waste, as we have already mentioned in other posts, is the set of electrical and electronic equipment that is discarded, including its by-products or consumables.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recycling"],"acf":{"post_country":{"simple_value_formated":"<ul><li><a class=\"post-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/paises\/spain\/\" 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