The developed countries need to give perticular attention to this issue of judiciously deciding what is the real waste and what can be used for some other purpose without recycling it.
@ prabhakar_deosthali You mean something like "One man's trash is another man's treasure?" Even in places where food waste is not collected to feed people, some people still gather it for compost. But many of us are so lazy about disposal that we just toss out everything -- even those items that are marked for recycling.
This is the big question, Bolaji. When something should be called a waste. The definition of waste differs from the society to society and also upon the standard of living.
What one may call a waste may still have good utility for other, without any recylcing.
The food that is termed as waste in a 5 start hotel may contain enough quality food to fill many a empty stomachs of those hungry poor . So in India, there are NGOs who collect "waste" food from such high profile places and after ensuring that it is healty enough to eat, distribute it among the needy poor.
Similar middlemen are required for processing of "electronic waste", the trusted middlemen who will judiciously decide what can be paased as "good" and what should be destroyed as the real waste.
One more point about the dumping of the parts in other regions of the world. Many countries where old electronic equipment and other high-tech devices are currently shipped for disposal are introducing similar laws to protect their own environment and workers. What this means is that the regions where manufacturers can allow these equipment to be shipped for disposal are fewer today than 10 years ago.
India used to be one such spot but now they are much more closely monitoring these activities. The same is happening in India. We will be focusing on some of these over the next weeks in EBN Velocity.
The rules and regulations about the environment are being introduced by government bodies globally and they are similarly implementing monitoring and enforcement actions that may also include fines or the ban of impacted components and equipment from that region.
The onus for compliance is on the suppliers of the components and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) buyer. If regulators receive a complaint and if investigations show failure to comply, the seller and its suppliers will be penalized.
I'd be interested to learn how the green regs are going to be policed. For instance, how do we know people are meeting recycling targets and not simply dumping the stuff in other parts of the world where the components then appear on the black market.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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