Waste Diversion Act: Pros And Cons

In today’s society, we rely on technology to move forward, both economically and globally. But what happens when you throw your desktop in the same bin as your cardboard box of pizza? Nowadays, disposing technology appropriately is the key to a thriving economy and environment. E-cycling (the recycling of technological waste) is more than just a concept. In the United States of America, 25 states have begun enforcing it as a law and Ontario has enforced the Waste Diversion Act. In particular, correct computer disposal is an increasingly significant issue that can be easily solved through e-cycling. There are many advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when disposing computers. There are various measures and procedures that

Ontario has taken great measures to enforce the Waste Diversion Act. Although fairly new, this act has the potential to make 5,000 directly related jobs and 17,750 indirectly related jobs available to citizens. Workers in the recycling industry try to salvage as many “usable and marketable” components from the computers which have significant value on the retail industries. Instead of trying to recycle the entire computer, they reuse whatever they can! This allows major computer manufacturing companies such as Dell and IBM to make new computers without having to mine and smelt raw materials which harm our environment. This is advantageous for both the environment and the manufacturers. Most computers are made with heavy metals that e-cycling agencies can scrap and market to agencies that mint coins. But what happens when you aren’t aware of how to recycle your computer? Most people’s personal computers end up in Canada’s landfill due to their lack of knowledge regarding e-cycling. However, many are oblivious to the fact that computers are made with certain precious metals, chemicals, and materials (e.g. mercury, arsenic, and barium) that don’t break down as easily as others (such as platinum). Many toxic items such as cadmium and lead can also lead to a negative impact in our environment if not handled by trained personnel. This has a major

The Waste Diversion Act enforces Ontarians to recycle e-waste, while promoting the reuse of technological equipment. Along with the Waste Diversion Act, there are many agencies and organizations dispersed across Canada to aide citizens in the process of disposing computers properly. To ensure that proper recycling of computers is conducted; workers in the e-cycling industry scrap all heavy metals and reusable components while removing toxic materials that cannot be recycled. Most of the components that can be reused are shipped out to manufacturers that can make good use of them. Also, as components are being reused, there is less petroleum being refined to create the energy that is used in the process of making new computer components. The concept of e-cycling is being further developed to ensure that any harmful impacts (due to the inappropriate disposal of computers) are kept to a