How to recycle electronics and computers securely and affordable
E-waste is growing rapidly, due to which there comes a need to tell people about effective recycling programs for electronics. People are trying to get more information about how to recycle their electronic waste effectively and securely that can be affordable too for them. People are trying to search for information on TVs or through internet sources to know about the best things that they can do. The major recycling processes that they want to know are computer recycling, TV recycling and other similar materials that they want to get rid of with minimizing the risks of identity or information theft.
With the arrival of a lot of new and cheap devices in the electronics industry is becoming the major reason of E-waste, it is because people prefer to buy a new device instead of repairing the old ones. According to a search report, approximately 75% of electronics has been started to be restored in houses because of the unapproachability of proper recycling options for e-waste. This issue is getting increased attention from the side of the electronics industry, consumers and policymakers. This consideration will soon bring good news for the persons who are having e-waste in their houses, and they do not know about the fact that how to dispose of the mobile phones, old computers, and other electronic devices safely.
Things to understand
So, the things will be started from understanding that what you can consider as e-waste? Whenever you are going to think about recycling of electronics waste, following some questions may arise in your mind about this. So, this is the time when you can understand all these facts and clear all your doubts about electronic waste easily.
The questions are:
1. What do you mean by electronics waste?
2. Why is it important to recycle electronics waste?
3. How can you recycle your own electronics waste?
4. Is it better to throw your electronics waste in the trash?
5. What about data destruction that is available in your device?
What do you mean by electronics waste or e-waste? What to recycle?
Electronics waste commonly known as e-waste is the End of Life Electronics devices. These electronics scrap or electronics waste includes unusable or dated computers, televisions, stereos, mobile phones, and some other electronic equipment. Some of these items can be recycled, but, a large amount of this waste is still finding a way to the landfill.
Electronics waste or e-waste is a term that refers to the products related to the electronics which has gone to the end point of its life and now not useful anymore. You can say that these are electronic devices that have become out-of-date, outmoded or wrecked. Electronics waste is a waste stream that is growing at the faster rate than other types of wastes, specifically in different areas of the United States, here we need to increase our efforts for making a more maintainable future in the country.
Why is it important to recycle electronics waste?
Electronics recycling is the best way that you can adapt to get rid of unwanted electronics devices because it can be a great way to help save resources and natural materials in a better way. All of us know the fact that electronics products are made from some important materials and resources, for example, glass, metal, and plastic. All of these valuable materials required energy for the process of mine or manufacture. So, donating or recycling electronics can help to conserve all of our natural resources, and it can help us in avoiding water and air pollution. Recycling of electronics materials is also going to help us in greenhouse gas emissions that can be caused by the process of manufacturing the virgin materials that are being used in the manufacturing of different electronics devices.
According to the estimation of the energy that you can save by recycling almost one million laptops is nearly equal to the energy that is being consumed by the 3500 houses in the United States in one year. According to another search result, every one million mobile phones that are being recycled have the ability to recover 772 pounds of silver, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 33 pounds of palladium and 75 pounds of gold. This can be the best example that can help you to know about how important it can be to recycle your electronics items for conserving the valuable natural materials and for energy too.
Following are some more things that can help you to know about why it can be important for you to recycle the electronics waste that you have in your home and thinking about to make it a part of your house trash:
1. Electronics waste can be a rich source of raw materials
2. By recycling the electronics waste, you can keep your surroundings safe from some toxic materials.
3. Movement of harmful waste from one place to another
4. Solid waste management
5. Electronics waste can be a cause of pollution
1. Electronics waste can be a rich source of raw materials
As it is a well-known fact that the electronics devices are made up with the combination of some valuable materials that you can save by recycling your dead, outdated or out mode electronics devices. According to a research report, only 5 to 10 percent of the gold from electronics waste is being recycled successfully. While the remaining 90 percent is being lost every year, which is a significant amount. And this is being lost just because people are not aware of the fact that how they can recycle or donate their electronics waste for better utilization. Electronics waste contains more precious materials too which are more than 40 to 50 percent richer than the ore being mined from the earth, according to the United Nations.
These valuable materials can be saved by giving awareness to the people about why they should recycle their electronics waste or authorities can run campaigns to tell the people about the benefits of recycling or donating the electronics waste. Awareness programs about recycling of electronics waste can help any country to conserve maximum from the valuable materials that are being used in the manufacturing of electronic devices.
2. By recycling the electronics waste, you can keep your surroundings safe from some toxic materials.
Old electronics devices are not only containing the valuables materials but some toxic elements too. As we know that there exist some poisonous elements in electronic devices such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and chromium. It is essential to ensure that these materials are going to be destroyed in a proper way and will not be added to the environment. It is because the release of these toxic materials into the environment can be harmful to the people of surroundings. There is a great possibility that the electronic waste may also contain other heavy metals or materials and some toxic chemicals too that can be harmful to humans and other livestock too. That is why it is better to destroy or recycle electronics waste in such a way that it can’t harm others.
3. Movement of harmful waste from one place to another
Uncontrolled movement of electronics waste is a common thing. Electronics waste is being moved to countries where cheap labor is available to recycle that electronics waste. But primary approaches and deficiency of sources that can be used to recycle the electronics waste are a reason for health issues to the natives of those countries. The continuous exposed release of toxin while recycling electronics waste is becoming an issue of concern to these poor areas. But recycling of electronics waste with the help of companies that are having enough sources can be a better option to perform and can save other places from being harm with the toxin materials that come from electronics waste.
4. Solid waste management
Although the growth of the electronics industry is emerging day by day, this growth is coming with the products having a shorter period of time. And this short period of a life cycle of different electronics devices is a cause of the quick growth of waste material. This solid waste material produced by electronics waste can be controlled by recycling the electronics waste efficiently.
5. Electronics waste can be a cause of pollution
Electronics waste contains many chemicals that can be dangerous for the environment. Because of this reason, it is illegal to throw away the dead, outdated or out mode electronics devices with regular garbage in different countries. In different countries all around the world, electronics waste is not being processed by certified electronics recyclers. Most of these countries do not have much awareness about the recycling of electronics waste or do not know about how they can tell their people about the health and environmental effects that can be caused by the discarded electronics waste. In such countries, improper methods to dump electronics waste are being used. People used to get valuable materials by burning electronics waste. But this burning process in the open air can be a cause of air pollution.
In most of the countries, due to improper dump process of electronics waste can be a cause of chemical’s leakage into the water supplies. Due to which water supplies can become polluted which may be harmful to the people or livestock around these dumpsites.
How to Recycle your Electronics waste?
We love the devices that we use in regular routine such as TV, mobile phones, laptops, computers, etc. Although we are using these gadgets with a lot of care, still they can be expired. It is because every electronic device has an end time of its useful life and after that time every device is going to be electronics waste. What to do with this electronics waste is a big problem. According to a report by United Nations 4.47 million tons of electronic waste has discarded in the year 2016, only 20 percent of this electronic waste was disposed of in a proper way.
Everyday consumers need to do something which can reduce the footprint of their electronic waste. Many of the materials that are being used in the manufacturing of electronic devices can be recovered to reuse such as plastic, metal, and glass. It is being claimed by Apple that the company has regained 2,204 pounds of gold whose worth is approximately 40 million dollars by recycling different electronics devices in the year 2015.
In different countries, people are being hired by the authorities who know about the proper ways that can be used to recycle old electronics devices. There are a lot of safe methods that you can use to dispose of or recycle your electronics waste.
Following are some things that you can do to recycle your electronics waste easily without facing any problem:
1. Take your electronics waste to a certified recycler
2. Donate your electronics waste to help a trust
3. Bring your electronics waste to a tech company
Donate your electronics waste to help a trust
If you have an electronic device that is still in working condition but you do not want to use that anymore, then the best thing that you can do is donate that to trust. You can find many charity places out there in your town that will happily accept your old device and will reuse that. You can find these local organizations around you easily by checking which of them are receiving old electronics devices.
Other than these organizations there are some other ways available that can help you to give your old electronics devices to the people who need these devices for their use. Following are some methods that you can use to donate your old electronics devices easily:
1. DELL Reconnect
2. eBay for Charity
3. World Computer Exchange Organization
4. American Cell Phone Drive Organization
DELL Reconnect
DELL Reconnect is working for Goodwill, and for this purpose, this organization accepts computers of every company and the devices that can work with a computer. According to this organization, you can drop your used and old electronics devices at the Goodwill locations near you for charity.
eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity says that you can let us sell your used and old electronics devices and any other thing that you want to donate and then you can donate all of the proceeds to the charity of your choice.
World Computer Exchange Organization
World Computer Exchange Organization is on its way to reduce the digital divide in many developing countries. World Computer Exchange Organization is promoting the reuse of electronics devices and proper recycling of unusable electronics devices. This organization is working for the providence of computers, laptops, peripherals and other electronic devices to different needy communities in the world.
American Cell Phone Drive Organization
This organization collects the used mobile phones of all brands and resell those cell phones after repairing them. American Cell Phone Drive Organization is responsible for the proper recycling of unusable mobile phones. This organization then utilize all the earning for different good purposes.
Bring your electronics waste to a tech company
Many of the manufacturing companies are providing recycling services too. You can search the programs of different tech companies who are giving the best recycling services to the users. You can search these companies by applying the product name or company name filter. Following are a few companies that are providing the option to recycle the old electronics devices to the consumers.
1. Give Back Program of Apple
2. Amazon
3. Recycling offers by Best Buy
4. Offers by Staples and Office Depot
5. Buyback program of Sprint
Give Back Program of Apple
If you are going to qualify for the recycling service of apple, you will be given a gift card of the worth $1000 or in-store credit for successfully qualifying a product at Give Back Program of Apple. If you have any electronic device that is not qualified for this program, the company will accept that too for the recycling process. And through April 30, Apple will donate for every device that was received by the company for the recycling process.
Amazon
Amazon will pay up to 200.91 dollars in the form of a gift card for qualifying any kind of used electronics device and video games or music CDs too.
Recycling offers by Best Buy
Recycling offers by Best Buy offer you to bring your old electronics devices for a proper recycling process. It does not matter where you bought that device you can bring that to Best Buy.
Offers by Staples and Office Depot
Staples and Office Depot offers a recycling program especially for their affinity members to get $2 for every printer unit, and one customer can offer ten printers in one month.
Many of printer’s manufacturer have their own recycling programs too for their customers that you can check through online sources of each company such as hp, Canon and Epson.
Is it better to throw your electronics waste in the trash?
Either it is legal to throw the End of Life electronics devices in trash or not is totally dependent on the type of device and the location where you are currently living. It refers to the state rules and regulations about electronics waste. But beyond this debate, the best thing that you can do with your electronics waste is donated, recycle or resell. These three can be the best and proper options that you can use for your electronics waste. If you want to recycle your electronics waste, then it is better to contact a certified recycler for this process.
There exist some cities or states in the world that do not allow the consumers to throw their electronics waste into the trash and ask their citizens to contact recyclers for a proper and complete process of recycling for your electronics waste. This can be the best step of the policymakers to keep their land pure and pollution free. If you are thinking about to contact a recycler, then be sure that you are going to contact a certified recycler for your recycling project of electronics waste.
What about data destruction that is available in your device?
Before recycling your old computer, laptop and mobile phones be sure that you have erased all the data from your device. To delete data from your hard drive is not enough to do, the best option is to clean the hard drive of the device that you are going to donate, recycle or resell. And if you are going to hire a recycler, you can ask him too to erase your personal information and entire data from the device before recycling that to avoid security and information thrift. Another option that you can use software that can rewrite your entire hard drive. This software you can get from online resources with ease.
It is a moral duty of all of us to take part in the recycling process of electronics waste. It is because besides saving the natural resources we can keep our environment save too from toxic elements that can be harmful to us.
