The Cost of E-waste and What You Can Do About It
E-waste or electronic waste is any electronic or electrical device that is thrown away without being reused or recycled. There are laws dictating that these items must be disposed of properly through certified channels, and most garbage collection companies will not knowingly accept these items. Unfortunately, in spite of this, electronic waste is illegally dumped all of the time.
Some of this is done intentionally. People will dump old television sets in commercial dumpsters in hopes that they become another person's problem. They will even dump old appliances, radios, and other devices in abandoned areas. In other cases, it's a matter of simple thoughtlessness. Somebody gets a new smartphone, and they toss the old one in the trash without giving it a single thought.
Problems Caused by E-Waste
To begin, many electronic and electrical devices contain elements such as lead and barium that can be leached into water sources. Then there is the air pollution that can be caused by poor e-waste management disposal processes. In many cases, even if customers do recycle their e-waste, it is sent to unscrupulous companies who operate burning centers in 3rd world countries. This causes serious air pollution issues. Another environmental impact is soil contamination. E-waste also takes up valuable space in landfills, and is unsightly. A final problem that people don't consider is information security. Improperly discarded devices may contain sensitive information that could be hacked.
The Human Cost of Electronic Waste And Why Recycling Isn't The Cure All
There is are a few reasons that electronic waste processing is sent to 3rd world countries so frequently. The first is that we would never tolerate open burning within our borders. So, it becomes other people's problem. The second is that companies don't have to deal with any real regulations. This leads to the third problem. The people who work for these companies are easily exploited. They often work for sweatshop wages, or they are simply slaves. They suffer the effects of the pollution and hard labor. In the meantime, the processing companies profit in two ways. They are paid to take the waste away. Then, when they have the waste incinerated, they get the precious metals that are left over and make money selling those as well.
10 Tips For Minimizing E-Waste in Your Life
Pass Devices Onto Others in Your Circle
You might not want a device any more, but that doesn't mean somebody you know isn't interested. Before you do anything else, simply ask folks you know if they would like to take it off your hands.
Donate Items Instead of Recycling or Throwing Them Away
If you have a device that you no longer need, call up churches, community centers, children's hospitals, and other organizations. They might love to have your devices. If you cannot find any interest there, you can always contact Goodwill or place an ad on Craigslist or Freecycle.
Research Reputable E-Waste Recyclers
Know the e-waste recyclers near you who operate ethically. Ask them if they rebuild or donate items, or if they just ship them overseas. The less business that you funnel towards unethical recyclers, the better off everybody will be. If you cannot find one, consider sending a letter to your local representative pointing out the problem to them.
Make Sure Your Devices Last as Long as Possible
Don't overcharge your batteries or let your devices get too hot. Open up computer cases and blow out the dust. Upgrade your OS so that you have the latest security patches. Keep your handheld devices in protective case.
Don't Buy Devices as an Ego Purchase
If you buy a new device, make sure that you actually need it. There is no reason to buy something new and discard the old simply because you must have the newest gadget.
If You Must Dispose of Your Device Know How to Wipe it Clean
This is imperative. Your electronic devices are full of important information, and unscrupulous people really do dig through trash cans and dumpsters to find these items. Use a professional software package to ensure that all of your data has been cleared, and physically destroy your hard drives or sim cards. If you store sensitive data for others, be sure you know what your legal obligations are regarding disposal and retention.
Buy And Sell Used Devices
According to Amy Rice from Gazelle: "The reuse of consumer electronics is one of the three Rs of sustainability - reduce, reuse, recycle. Believe it or not, reuse has a greater impact on perpetuating a sustainable lifestyle than recycling. In-person transactions for recycling, such as those found at ecoATM, immediately incentivize people with cash to recycle".
This is one of many great reasons to sell your devices and buy used devices instead of purchasing new items or recycling old. The next time you are ready to upgrade, this can help devices stay out of landfills.
Learn to Upgrade Instead of Discarding
Before you throw something away, ask yourself why you are doing that? If the device is running slowly, or out of storage space, this can be fixed by adding or replacing a few components. Believe it or not, most of these repairs and upgrades are quite simple. Your performance issues might also be a result of a virus or other software/operating system issue. Once you become comfortable making repairs and upgrades, you might never throw away old desktops, tablets, or laptops. You'll just keep them around for spare parts.
Find New Uses For Electronics
Think about using old devices in new ways. For example, rather than throwing a laptop away, you can use it as a second monitor for your desktop PC. This allows you to have more screen space for graphic design, gameplay, or other purposes. An old iPod may not be useful as your main music player, but if you plug it into a decent set of speakers it can be a great addition to your workshop or rec room.
Know Which Disposal Service Your Electronics Store Uses
Most electronics stores will offer to take your devices when you purchase new products from them. Some will also offer this service for a fee, but will apply that fee to a future store credit. This is all well and good, but be sure that you ask who they use to process their e-waste. If they are repairing and updating, or donating most of the items they receive, that's great. Consider making a purchase elsewhere if they are simply sending items overseas.
E-waste is both an environmental and an ethical problem. Solving this problem requires that everybody take action to reduce waste, reuse and repair when possible, and patronize businesses that do not exploit others.
