Electronic waste and planned obsolescence in the countryside of Rio Grande do Norte: a study of environmental awareness

The purchase and use of electrical and electronic equipment have been growing in recent decades, intensifying the impacts on the environment and damage to human health due to its improper disposal. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the environmental awareness of the residents of Alto do Rodrigues/RN on the problem of electronic waste and its disposal, consumerism and planned obsolescence. It was performed a field research and the results indicated that most residents are unaware of what planned obsolescence is, but they are aware of the problems generated by the incorrect disposal of electronic waste and, even so, put it together with the common waste. The survey showed the population's preference for the implementation of collection points for this waste in homes or stores. This study proposes Environmental Education initiatives that aim to raise the population's awareness of the risks of improper disposal of electronic waste, as well as the implementation of recycling or reuse in the municipality, thus enabling the reduction the impacts of these wastes on the environment.