Growing E-waste issue in the Caribbean

E-waste is an issue all over the world.

It is also becoming a growing concern in the Caribbean.

As such, today on The Paperless Times we’ll be looking at e-waste in the Caribbean and implementing measures to help address these issues.

Let’s first look at the Caribbean to better understand what we are talking about and how it is being affected.

According to New World Encyclopedia, the Caribbean (also known as the West Indies)is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and the surrounding coasts.

Image by One World - Nations Online

Often when people hear of the Caribbean its food and rich culture are some of the first things that come to mind.

However, with increasing advances in technology the Caribbean is also being affected by the drastic increase in ewaste.

In 2010, 27,500 tonnes of ewaste were produced by just five of the many countries in the Caribbean, and this is expected to increase to 59,000 tonnes by 2025(Mohammadi et. al, 2021).

Following this trend, measures and strategies have been implemented to try and eliminate the production of ewaste in the Caribbean.

Now let us take a look some of the strategies and measure that are being used.

Fully integrated Solid Waste Management Systems (circular economy)

Countries have implemented measures to separate useful computer parts that can then be recycled. By recycling parts of devices, ewaste production is minimized and raw materials can be conserved, which aids sustainability. Hence, as waste is being eliminated while sustainability is being maintained a circular economy is being implemented.

Promotion of recycling

By promoting recycling, persons are made aware of its benefits and the impacts. Likewise,

ewaste campaigns promote the recycling of useful electronic parts, and make persons aware of the ewaste problem and how recycling can help reduce its production.

Fixing old or damaged devices

There are companies that will buy old or damaged devices to refurbish and then resell them. Similarly, those companies may repair computers for a fee.

In Conclusion

There has been a drastic increase in ewaste production in the Caribbean. Following this, measures have been implemented to help decrease ewaste production and its effects.