Electronic waste is a growing issue. More electronic products are bought and thrown away each year, manufacturers keep releasing new and better devices, and older models are retired before they are worn out. Planned obsolescence is part of the reason devices become difficult to repair or upgrade.
Keep a device alive before you recycle it
The greenest device is the one you already own. Preserve electronic equipment for as long as you reasonably can before recycling it. If you genuinely need a better machine, consider selling the old one for refurbishment rather than sending it to a recycling bin, because a repaired device saves far more material than a melted one.
What is actually inside
Electronic waste should never go to landfill. It contains toxic and hazardous materials, including mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, chromium and chemical flame retardants. The same equipment also holds valuable resources: gold, copper, silver and rare earth minerals.
As the world depletes raw materials at a rapid rate, learning to recycle and reuse what we already have becomes essential to the future of the industry. That is why a responsible recycling route matters. Our wider note on proper methods for recycling paper makes a similar case for keeping clean fibre in circulation.
The illegal dumping problem
Up to 90 percent of electronic waste is dumped illegally, which poses a tremendous environmental risk. The Basel Action Network, a nonprofit organisation working to regulate the export of electronic waste from industrialised societies to developing countries, states that as much as 90 percent of it is illegally dumped.
Some operators that call themselves recyclers ship electronic waste to developing countries where proper processing is missing. Harmful materials are then left in the open, harming workers, water, soil and the surrounding community.
Ask where your device will actually go before you hand it over. A reputable recycler can explain the downstream process and will not simply export the problem.
How to recycle a device properly
- Back up your data, then wipe the device completely.
- Check whether the maker or a local shop offers a repair or trade in route.
- Find an electronic waste clean point in your area, then confirm the recycling centre behind it.
- Hand over cables, chargers and batteries at the same time, since they carry the same materials.
- Reduce what you buy next. Cutting the number of devices you purchase is one of the best ways to shrink the problem at its source.
Reduce before you recycle
Reducing the amount of electronic waste is essential. Fewer upgrades, longer warranties and repairs over replacements all beat recycling. When you do buy, look for equipment built to be mended and keep it in use. The same principle runs through the sustainable goods collected in 50+ items to begin halting plastic pollution right now.
