With technology advancing and population growing more rapidly than ever before, there is an increasingly prominent threat to our environment. Electronic Waste, or E-Waste, has started to become more of a focal point of environmentalist with the generation of E-Waste rising at an annual rate of around 4% in the past few years. This number is expected to climb up to 8% going forward. In Singapore itself, around 60,000 tonnes of E-Waste are generated in a year!
The amount of E-Waste is rising and you might be wondering, “What has that got to do with me?” Well, E-Waste is made of many substances that is considered toxic to humans. If consumed or introduced to our bodies in other ways, these substances like heavy metals or chemicals, can damage our organs.
When these electronic waste are not processed properly upon disposal, we risk harmful substances escaping into our environment. When they are thrown together with regular waste, they are processed through multiple methods such as shredding and melting. When this happens, these substances are introduced to the air which not only causes air pollution but can enter our bodies through breathing.
Apart from that, if they are disposed in landfills, the harmful substances are introduced to not only the soil but can even pollute the groundwater as well. These groundwater sources could lead to our water sources or to the crops that we grow and the harmful substances could enter our body through consumption.
It is not a well-known fact that E-Waste could harm not just our environment but also us as well. In a study done by The National Environment Agency of Singapore, “60% of consumers said they don’t know how to recycle their e-waste”. Maha Chemicals recognises this environmental risk and want to play a part in saving the environment. To do so, we have installed an E-Waste Bin within the company in March 2021. Electronic Waste collected in this Bin will be collected and disposed off using proper processes.
Maha Chemicals have not only collected the company’s own E-Waste using the E-Waste Bin, but also encouraged our employees to being their E-Waste from their homes to dispose in the bin. We hope that our people can create a habit that is environmentally sustainable going forward. As of April 1st 2021, Maha Chemicals have collected 16KG of E-Waste and targets to collect 75KG by the end of 2021.
We have also reached out to our suppliers, customers and other partners to bring their e-waste down as well. Eventually we want to be an organisation that promotes sustainability and provides sustainable solutions and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Do check out our other sustainability efforts here!
References:
NEA study: Singapore produces 60,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, only 6% recycled
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/e-waste-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878189
3 Scary Effects of E-waste on the Environment and Human Health
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