I
have six cellphones at my apartment. I only need one, so what should I do
with the rest of them? If you’re thinking “throw them in the trash” then
you’re not alone. According to the EPA: “In the United States, only
about 18% of e-waste is collected for recycling, with the remaining 80% sent to
landfill and 2% for incineration”[1].
But is this the right way to be disposing of old electronics?
Should I try to recycle them instead? I’m not really sure, which is
probably why I still have six phones.
Throwing everything in the trash is, by far, the quickest and easiest solution, but it’s also the least environmentally friendly. When you throw your electronic waste in the trash, it ends up in either a landfill or an incinerator, both of which cause environmental damage. From the landfill, toxic chemicals can leak out into the surrounding ground and streams, whereas incineration releases the toxic chemicals into the air.[2] Some of the most damaging chemicals released include lead, cadmium, and mercury, which have been linked to tumors, mental health disorders, and even cancer.[3]
Recycling is a better option, but you need to do your homework and make sure you are using a reputable recycling service, or else your old electronics might simply end up in a landfill in another country instead of your own. “about 80 percent of that [recycled] material, very quickly, finds itself on a container ship going to a country like China, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Pakistan — where very dirty things happen to it."[4] Once the waste arrives in one of these countries, it is picked over for the few parts that can be reused, and the rest is discarded into open air trash piles that are likely even worse for the environment than the landfills in developed countries. According to e-stewards “82% of small children tested in Gulyu, China were found to have clinical lead poisoning”.[5]
Throwing everything in the trash is, by far, the quickest and easiest solution, but it’s also the least environmentally friendly. When you throw your electronic waste in the trash, it ends up in either a landfill or an incinerator, both of which cause environmental damage. From the landfill, toxic chemicals can leak out into the surrounding ground and streams, whereas incineration releases the toxic chemicals into the air.[2] Some of the most damaging chemicals released include lead, cadmium, and mercury, which have been linked to tumors, mental health disorders, and even cancer.[3]
Recycling is a better option, but you need to do your homework and make sure you are using a reputable recycling service, or else your old electronics might simply end up in a landfill in another country instead of your own. “about 80 percent of that [recycled] material, very quickly, finds itself on a container ship going to a country like China, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Pakistan — where very dirty things happen to it."[4] Once the waste arrives in one of these countries, it is picked over for the few parts that can be reused, and the rest is discarded into open air trash piles that are likely even worse for the environment than the landfills in developed countries. According to e-stewards “82% of small children tested in Gulyu, China were found to have clinical lead poisoning”.[5]
As electronics become cheaper, and hundreds of millions of people around the world enter the middle class, the issue of electronic waste will only grow more and more important. So what can you do?
Research
- Know which home items are recyclable. Did you know that 60% of
the stuff you have at home is recyclable?
- Find out what recycling companies are around and ask if they
recycle responsibly. What I mean by “responsibly” is that they don’t simply
ship everything to developing countries, but rather extract all the reusable
material in a safe and environmentally friendly way
Reduce
- Purchase products that you know are reliable thereby reducing
the number of times you would have to replace that product
-
Repair old electronics instead of buying new ones, it just may come in handy!
- Upgrade rather than replace. You can do this in two ways: 1. If
it’s a PC then simply upgrade its hard drive and if it’s a phone then replace
it’s battery. Or 2. Some electronics retail stores are ready to buy your old
equipment and can offer you a brand new product for just a little more cash
Reuse
- Donate what you don’t use… hey! After all, someone’s trash will
be someone else’s treasure
- Resell what you don’t want!! A little less clutter and a little
more dough in the pocket can’t hurt
Recycle
- Play
detective and find out what and where you can recycle!
- Check if brands you are buying offer a recycling program, a
responsible one… Apple, for example, gives you the opportunity to send your old
products, and they take care of the rest![6]
Want to see the story in the making? Here’s a video[7]
Here’s a report card for responsible or not so responsible electronic brands[8]
Grade
|
Computer Companies
|
TV Companies
|
Printers Companies
|
Game Consoles
|
A
|
None.
|
|||
B
|
||||
Samsung (dishonorable
mention)
|
||||
C+
|
||||
Over the past decade, people have become more aware of the waste they are generating due to increased awareness and educational initiatives sponsored by governments and have hence increased the amount of recycled items per household. The proliferation of electronic waste, and government laws and regulations regarding its disposal, are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the recycling business. “ABI Research said that [in 2009] the market for e-waste recovery globally was around $5.7 billion. This revenue is described as money generated through reclamation of valuable materials from e-scrap”.[9] Over the next four years that number was expected to more than double to $14.7 billion. This kind of market growth should provide a number of opportunities for budding entrepreneurs.
Good points and information. I know my parents are looking to clean out their attic and basement, and have old computers and monitors (in addition to smaller items like cell phones, etc.) that they don't want to dump - but cannot find a reputable company to donate to or handle recycling. It can be a challenge and an interesting test of one's convictions and dedication to "green" to see how far they are willing to go to fight the right solution, versus taking the easy way out and just dumping the technology.
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