Electronic waste adversely affects the environment

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Electronic waste is a threat to the environment (Photo: TL)

Difficult to recover

Electronic devices are indispensable items in households. They are electrical - electronic devices which are no longer used such as television screens, computers, printers, fax machines, mobile phones, tablets, cameras, batteries, and components to information technology, etc.

With relatively new electronic products which can be well reused, people often sell them to those who specialize in buying electronics. Stores that buy second-hand electronics often refurbish and then sell; or disassemble them to get components used for repairing and assembling electronic devices.

In 2015, the Prime Minister issued Decision No.16/2015/QD-TTg stipulating the recall and disposal of discarded products. This decision specifies the responsibility of manufacturers to organize the recall of discarded products sold to Vietnam market, through recall centers, then handle or export to foreign countries for handling.

By 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Circular No. 34/2017/TT-BTNMT detailing Clause 13, Article 5 and Clause 1, Article 9 of Decision No.16/2015/QD-TTg. Accordingly, manufacturers must organize the recall of discarded products they have sold to Vietnam market and establish recall points or system of recall points of discarded products.

Recall points for discarded devices must be specified, such as recall point for discarded batteries, or recall point for discarded and electronic equipment, etc. However, most people do not know or do not pay attention to this regulation. Even if they want to follow the regulation, they do not know where the recall points are to bring discarded items to. On the other hand, selling electronic waste to middlemen is still the most convenient.

E-waste at bottle stores is usually disassembled to get copper and iron components for sales. The rest of the worthless items are often burned or left as garbage.

Adverse effects on the environment

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), electronic waste contains more than 1 thousand different compounds, mainly heavy metal components and precious metals, etc. including many toxic substances causing serious environmental pollution and affecting human health.

The fact that the bottle stores themselves disassemble the internal parts to get copper and iron accidentally causes toxic substances to absorb into the soil, gradually accumulate, and penetrate into the underground water source. This action also inadvertently harms the environment. The toxic present in old electronic items when being released into the environment will be difficult to identify but pose a potential risk to human health such as cancer, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease, etc.

Meanwhile, the amount of electronic waste keeps increasing every year. According to statistics of the Department of Pollution Control (MONRE), in 2014, the total amount of electronic waste in Vietnam was 60 thousand tons; by 2016, this figure was 90 thousand tons, and in 2018, it increased to 116 thousand tons. Electronic items such as televisions, computers, peripherals, audio equipment, and phones, etc. account for 2% of the total waste today.

According to a report by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the amount of electronic waste in Vietnam increases every year by 100,000 tons, mainly from households (electrical appliances) and offices (computers, photocopiers, and fax machines, etc.). In addition, faulty electronic product sets and illegal imported waste devices "contribute" to this amount of electronic waste.

Hoàng Giang