Toronto is right at the top of the list of the most populated Canadian cities. This is down to several factors including its cultural significance, tourist attraction features, living conditions, thriving business environment, and a couple of other things.
As with many other cities that share its high population status, there are challenges and waste management is one such. More specifically, cities like Toronto generate a great deal of E-waste and there is a need for proactive measures in addressing this concern. For more insight on how much E-waste is generated in Toronto, you can visit: https://news.ontario.ca/.
The point is that everyone needs to get on board with the idea of properly disposing of this sort of waste. Keep reading as this is what this article is about.
Importance of Proper Electronic Waste Disposal in Toronto
Proper disposal of E-waste is for the good of everyone. This is considering the several negative consequences that can be avoided when we go down this path. Overall, some of the reasons why this subject should be taken seriously are discussed below:
Environmental Protection
A lot of electronics contain significant amounts of hazardous materials. Prime examples of hazardous materials contained in many of these items include:
- Mercury
- Cadmium
- Lead
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Phthalates
- Arsenic
- PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
- PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
- Brominated Flame Retardants
All of the above-listed and several others are capable of polluting the environment. For example, Mercury, Cadmium, Lead, Beryllium, Chromium, and Arsenic are all capable of polluting groundwater. Overall, this can lead to adverse consequences such as:
- Disrupted Ecosystems
- Adverse Health Consequences
- Severe Effects on Aquatic Organisms
- Disrupted Food Chain
- Water & Soil Contamination
As a result of all these, proper disposal of E-waste is a disaster prevention tactic. Furthermore, it does a lot in extending the functionality of landfills. This is as space would be conserved, given that far fewer e-waste items would end up in these facilities.
Health Safety
This is perhaps the most important reason for taking this subject seriously. The reason is that there is a whole lot at stake (health-wise) when electronic wastes are not properly disposed of. To provide a clearer picture, below are some adverse implications of exposure to toxic chemicals found in many of these items:
- Mercury – Can result in damage to the digestive, immune, and nervous systems. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are more vulnerable
- Cadmium – Can result in respiratory complications, kidney damage, and bone fragility
- Lead – Can result in kidney damage, high blood pressure, neurological damage, and infant developmental delays
- Arsenic – Can lead to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, skin lesions, and even leave neurological adverse effects
- Beryllium – Can lead to berylliosis (beryllium disease), respiratory complications, and lung cancer
Frankly, the list is a lot more than you see above. As a result, knowledge and application of proper disposal methods for electronic waste Toronto is in everyone’s best interest. This is especially true as it concerns communal health and well-being.
Resource Conservation
They are only regarded as waste materials from the viewpoint of functionality. However, they still contain valuable parts that can be recycled and reused. For example, some of these items contain properties such as copper, gold, and silver.
Proper disposal methods imply that such parts would be extracted, recycled, and end up being reused. This ultimately leads to natural resource conservation, especially through reduced need for mining activities.
By the way, its effects on mining activities also lead to energy conservation. This is considering how making new products from recycled materials consumes less energy than the combined energy demands for mining and product manufacturing with raw materials.
Economic Benefits
Proper disposal of e-waste offers massive economic benefits. For one, this practice of properly disposing of these items caters to the immediate needs of the recycling industry. This in turn leads to increased job creation by this industry and support for the local economy.
Ethical Responsibility
Everyone needs to come on board to achieve environmental sustainability as it is in the best interest of all. In other words, we must all be ethically responsible, and responsible consumption practice is required for this reason. Well, proper disposal of e-waste is one of the ways to go about this.
Legal Compliance
The importance of adhering to proper waste management practices cannot be overemphasized. This is why there are rules and regulations to this effect. For example, the disposal of electronic waste in Blue Bin is a blatant violation of a section of the rules and regulations.
The fact that there are rules and regulations also implies that there are penalties for the violation of any one of them. Fines happen to be common penalties. You can click here to learn more about what the government is doing about this issue. The point is that proper disposal of e-waste ensures that you are on the right side of the law on these matters.
Conclusion
There are several options for you in the spirit of properly disposing of your e-waste. However, some are more reliable than others.
On this note, you are advised to make the most of certified and trusted pickup and recycling service providers that operate within the city. This way, you do not have to worry about scheduling, among other benefits.
