Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 5
By Huseyn Veliyev – Trend:
Proposals on e-waste management have been submitted to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, a source in the Institute of Information Technologies of the country’s National Academy of Sciences told Trend.
The institute conducted studies of the aspects of e-waste regulation and studied the experience of countries where specific projects for e-waste collection and utilization are being implemented, according to the source.
“Currently, the issue of e-waste management is also being considered at the level of Azerbaijan’s government,” said the source. “According to official statistics, over two million cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors were imported to the country in 1999-2006. The question arises, where are these monitors now?”
E-waste contains materials that are harmful both to human health and the environment. High-tech waste (semiconductors, resistors, fuses, power supplies, connecting cables, etc.) contain cadmium, mercury, chromium, bromine, nickel, lithium and other elements that decompose and release hazardous carcinogens.
“E-waste regulation also has economic benefits, since precious metals can also be obtained from e-waste processing,” the source noted. “For example, organizers of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are going to produce gold, silver and bronze medals from recycled mobile phones and other electronics.”