Industrial Waste
What if nothing ever wore out or became obsolete? What a wonderful world that would be, right? Well, maybe not. If no one ever had to replace anything ever again, the economy would pretty soon come to an almost complete stop. Most of the companies that make things would go out of business and the workers they employ would be out of work.
Fortunately for the economy, things do have to be replaced. Unfortunately for the environment, disposing of no longer needed equipment creates another set of problems. Many machines, robots and computers contain hazardous materials that would poison landfills and water tables if they were disposed of incorrectly.
Under U.S. environmental hazardous waste is defined as:
• Materials that cause, or increase the likelihood of death or serious illness
• Materials that pose a significant hazard to human health or the environment unless properly handled and disposed of.
Industrial machines, computers and robots are full of such materials, including:
• Heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, tin, zinc and copper
• Acids and bases
• Plastics
All of these materials are problematic candidates for disposal. Simple land fill dumping of each of these categories creates multiple issues. Most plastics, for example, do not decay and would ultimately cause landfills to overflow. Heavy metals, acids and bases can leach into water supplies. At the same time, some of these hazardous materials are non-renewable. Their supplies are limited. Eventually, the world’s reserves of oil (used in making plastics) and metals will be depleted.
Many component materials (such as tin, silicon, iron, aluminum, and a variety of plastics) found in computers and robots are extracted in the recycling process and reused in the production of new electronics products. Naturally, this reduces the cost of production of these products. Some materials, like gold or copper, are valuable enough to make reclamation worthwhile whether or not they are recycled into new electronics.
Fortunately for the economy, replacing machines, robots and tools from manufacturing facilities can generate economic benefits. Recycling such materials can be more cost effective than mining or producing new supplies. Fortunately for the environment, recycling such materials keeps them out of landfills and water supplies and so out of contact with humans and wildlife.
In advanced, industrialized countries, disposal of hazardous wastes are closely regulated, so companies have both the carrot of profit and stick of regulation driving them to recycle hazardous materials from industrial machines and computers.
This article was written by Peter Wendt, a freelance writer. Currently Peter is covering environmental topics like electronics demanufacturing, hazardous waste, and computer recycling.
What if nothing ever wore out or became obsolete? What a wonderful world that would be, right? Well, maybe not. If no one ever had to replace anything ever again, the economy would pretty soon come to an almost complete stop. Most of the companies that make things would go out of business and the workers they employ would be out of work.
Fortunately for the economy, things do have to be replaced. Unfortunately for the environment, disposing of no longer needed equipment creates another set of problems. Many machines, robots and computers contain hazardous materials that would poison landfills and water tables if they were disposed of incorrectly.
Under U.S. environmental hazardous waste is defined as:
• Materials that cause, or increase the likelihood of death or serious illness
• Materials that pose a significant hazard to human health or the environment unless properly handled and disposed of.
Industrial machines, computers and robots are full of such materials, including:
• Heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, tin, zinc and copper
• Acids and bases
• Plastics
All of these materials are problematic candidates for disposal. Simple land fill dumping of each of these categories creates multiple issues. Most plastics, for example, do not decay and would ultimately cause landfills to overflow. Heavy metals, acids and bases can leach into water supplies. At the same time, some of these hazardous materials are non-renewable. Their supplies are limited. Eventually, the world’s reserves of oil (used in making plastics) and metals will be depleted.
Many component materials (such as tin, silicon, iron, aluminum, and a variety of plastics) found in computers and robots are extracted in the recycling process and reused in the production of new electronics products. Naturally, this reduces the cost of production of these products. Some materials, like gold or copper, are valuable enough to make reclamation worthwhile whether or not they are recycled into new electronics.
Fortunately for the economy, replacing machines, robots and tools from manufacturing facilities can generate economic benefits. Recycling such materials can be more cost effective than mining or producing new supplies. Fortunately for the environment, recycling such materials keeps them out of landfills and water supplies and so out of contact with humans and wildlife.
In advanced, industrialized countries, disposal of hazardous wastes are closely regulated, so companies have both the carrot of profit and stick of regulation driving them to recycle hazardous materials from industrial machines and computers.