Electronic waste matter (also known every bit east-waste) is discarded electrical or electronic devices. Improper disposal and processing of this waste tin lead to adverse human and environmental damages.

At that place are now more than mobile phones than the number of people around the world (source). With our tendency to just throw away products and continually buy new ones, this creates a global e-waste product problem.

E-Waste material's Impact on the Environment

E-waste landfill filled with old computers
Image by George Hotelling from Canton, MI, United States (Due east-waste recycling in Ann Arbor) [CC By-SA two.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The ecology hazards caused past improper disposal of e-waste tin can be briefly described every bit follows:

  1.  Air Pollution:Burning of wires release hydrocarbons in the temper.
  2.  Water Pollution:Electronic devices incorporate toxic metals like mercury, lead and lithium, which when disposed of improperly, mixes with ponds, lakes and groundwater. Communities that directly depend on these sources of h2o then swallow it unknowingly. These heavy metals are hazardous for all forms of living beings.
  3.  Soil Pollution: These heavy metals enter the food concatenation as they are absorbed past plants from the soil. These metals not only destroy the plants, only as well are then consumed by other living beings, leading to a poisonous food chain.

Now, allow'south get into some tips and means that yous can reduce e-waste matter.

Ways to Reduce East-Waste product and its Hazards

The post-obit are ten ways to curb these ecology hazards, reduce electronic waste, and relieve our planet:

1. Sell one-time Electronics

I of the best and easiest methods of reducing the electronic waste material footprint is to sell or donate your electronic gadgets to those in demand.

If you are planning on selling, y'all should exist able to hands find a heir-apparent every bit they will have the opportunity to purchase the same product at a much lower price than if it were new. You get easy money while the buyer gets a nice gadget; a win-win for both.

A good place to sell old electronics (without whatever fees) is Craigslist. You can sell unwanted devices past posting a local advertizing and meeting upwardly with potential buyers.

Another website you tin can utilize to sell erstwhile devices is Kijiji, which works similar to Craigslist. Kijiji is basically the Canadian version of Craigslist.

2. Donate erstwhile Electronics

Donating electronics to the needy is as well a practice followed past many. It not but gives the gadget a new life, but also makes you feel skillful about yourself.

If you lot decide to donate your former electronic devices when you don't need them anymore, make certain to clear whatsoever information (like data in your laptop difficult drive) before you donate it.

To learn more about altruistic gadgets safely and correctly, cheque out this EPA guide on altruistic and recycling electronics.

3. Recycle and Dispose of E-Waste Properly

Improperly disposed e-waste matter is becoming more and more hazardous, especially as the sheer book of our due east-waste increases.

For this reason, large brands like Apple tree, Samsung, and other companies have started giving options to its customers to recycle onetime electronics. Sometimes, yous may even get financial compensation for recycling your old devices!

Recycling old electronics allows the expensive electronic parts inside to be reused. This tin can save a lot of energy and reduce the demand for mining of new raw resources, or manufacturing new parts.

Y'all tin can find electronic recycling programs in your local area by doing a Google search for "recycle electronics" and your metropolis or area proper noun.

iv. Maintain your Electronics

Ane of the best ways to salvage your coin and reduce e-waste is to go on your electronics well-maintained, to increase its life. Here are some tips to become you started.

Maintaining a Laptop or Computer:

  • Brand certain your PC's difficult drive or SSD doesn't get completely full. This allows it to keep running smoothly and quickly for a long time.
  • Clean your estimator often so that information technology doesn't get muddy.
  • Whenever possible, try not to overcharge your bombardment. This ways unplugging your chargerbefore your laptop hits 100%, which will improve your battery'due south overall lifespan.

Maintaining a Mobile Phone:

  • Use a phone case and screen protector and then that your phone doesn't interruption when you drop it.
  • Similarly to laptops, continue your device clean and don't always fully charge your battery if you don't need to (This improves overall bombardment lifespan).

By maintaining your electronics, yous relieve money on having to buy new gadgets when your old ones pause downwards. Yous're likewise keeping electronics out of landfills by increasing the total lifespan of your electronic devices.

5. Repurpose or Re-evaluate

Always recollect twice before upgrading or buying a new electronic device:

  1. Do you lot actually need this new device?
  2. Is information technology a need, or more of a want?
  3. Volition information technology add value to your personal or professional life in whatever fashion?

If yous answered "no" to whatever of the higher up questions, then it might be best to re-evaluate your thoughts, and avoid buying it.

To add on to this, you can repurpose sometime electronics that aren't useful anymore for their intended use.

For case: An old mobile phone can piece of work every bit an mp3 player or even as a GPS device. Don't throw it away, retrieve wisely!

six. Store Information Online

Cloud services are much better than you lot would think in reducing your environmental bear upon.

By storing information online, you become to access your information from anywhere effectually the world, without the need to carry a storage device at all times. Cloud storage also gives you a large amount of storage, for free or for very cheap.

This not only offers convenience to y'all, only reduces the demand for manufacturing of new storage devices.

This indirectly reduces your carbon footprint and curbs the amount of generated e-waste material.

7. Buy Energy Star Rated Electronics

Investing in environmental friendly electronics have interdependent benefits.

A high Energy Star rated device consumes less energy, reducing your electricity nib significantly. In addition, considering less energy is required, information technology keeps a cheque on resources (energy) depletion by avoiding over- utilization. It indirectly saves the surround by reducing the load on resource' (energy) extraction and depletion.

When purchasing, look for electronics and appliances with the Free energy Star logo:

Energy Star logo

viii. Learn to Repair Broken Electronics at Domicile

Some brands of modernistic electronic devices are only meant to concluding for a few years nether regular apply earlier failing.

Nonetheless, along with maintaining your electronic devices by cleaning them regularly to help them last for longer, yous could likewise learn how to fix hardware issues on your device.

Online sites such as iFixit provide free, footstep-past-footstep guides for fixing mutual issues across hundreds of unlike device models, along with pictures of the device and of the required tools for each repair job.

Nowadays, there are also many Youtube videos teaching you how to fix a broken laptop or do a phone screen replacement yourself. Many times, all it takes is a bit of time and patience before your gadget is good as new!

By learning to repair your electronics at habitation, you will gain more detailed knowledge and agreement of the hardware of your device.

Yous'll likewise acquire useful repair skills, and avoid having to travel to a professional repair store and pay expensive fees for other people to fix your device.

Best of all, you lot will be able to continue using your device for longer and won't accept to throw information technology away.

9. Hire Electronic Equipment instead of Buying

If you are planning to use a specific piece of electronic equipment for a limited flow of time, it would exist a amend thought to hire it instead of buying it.

For example, if yous sparingly use industrial weighing scales for measuring, say, the weight of the electronic waste, rent the scales instead of buying them.

Renting equipment is both a cost-constructive and environmentally friendly choice, as you only take to pay for the duration you rent rather than ownership the equipment outright and and then letting it rot away later one or two uses.

10. Spread the Give-and-take!

Allow's say y'all've been faithful in your quest to reduce electronic waste matter. Yous're ownership less unnecessary electronics and donating your outdated ones, among other things.

You're doing your function, and that'southward peachy! Now, it'south time to share your noesis with other folks who may be less aware about the hazards of east-waste material.

Adjacent time you see a family member improperly disposing of an old computer or buying a new smartphone for no reason, take the fourth dimension and share your knowledge on the detrimental issue of their actions.

Almost importantly, give those people a reason to act on your communication. For example, if you know of a adept identify nearby to donate old electronics, make certain to let them know!

1 honest discussion near responsible means to reduce e-waste has the potential to make a measurable difference both in your community and on a global scale.

Accept Action

At present you've seen ten means to reduce the environmental effects of east-waste matter. It'south your turn to start taking action.

Nosotros all need to take a stand to prevent the devastation of the environment we alive in.

About the Author: Rebecca Pryor

Rebecca Pryor is manager of A&A Skip Hire –1 of North London's leading provider of domestic and commercial skips.

Other Contributors:

  • Tip eight (Repair Broken Electronics) was contributed past Cloe from CloeWrites.
  • Tip nine (Rent Electronic Equipment) was contributed by Kevin from Scalesu.com.
  • Tip 10 (Spread the Give-and-take) was contributed by John from AllGreenRecycling.com.

Edited By: Hugh

Last Updated 2019-02-12