Posts in category: E-Waste

As technology continues to evolve rapidly, electronic waste (e-waste) becomes an increasingly pressing issue. In our last e-waste blog, we shared with you:

• 70% of our overall toxic waste is e-waste.
• 85% of our e-waste is sent to landfills and incinerators.
• Every year, we generate around 40 million tons of electronic waste every year (that’s like throwing 800 laptops out every second).

Our upcoming used electronics collection event on June 15th is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of e-waste and how we can all contribute to solving this problem. By understanding what e-waste is and the challenges it presents, we can take effective steps to mitigate its harmful effects on our environment and health.

What is E-Waste?

E-waste refers to discarded electronic devices and components, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, televisions, refrigerators, and electronic toys. As technology advances and older devices become obsolete, the lifespan of electronic products decreases, leading to a significant increase in e-waste worldwide.

Why is E-Waste a Problem?

E-waste presents several environmental, health, and economic challenges. Many electronic devices contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants. Improper disposal of e-waste can impact daily life through:

Airborne Pollutants: Burning e-waste releases toxic fumes and particulate matter into the air, causing respiratory issues, cardiovascular problems, and cancer. People living near e-waste processing sites are at higher risk of exposure.

Contaminated Water: Toxic substances from e-waste can seep into groundwater and surface water, affecting drinking water supplies. Consuming contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal issues, kidney damage, and long-term illnesses like cancer.

Soil Contamination: Toxic chemicals from e-waste accumulate in soil, affecting agriculture and local food supplies. Crops grown in contaminated soil absorb harmful substances, entering the food chain and causing health issues.

How to Prevent E-Waste

Preventing e-waste starts with individual actions at home. Here are some effective methods:

Proper Disposal and Recycling:
– Use designated e-waste recycling facilities and participate in community collection events (HINT: June 15!)
– Utilize manufacturer and retailer take-back programs for responsible recycling.

Extending Device Lifespan:
– Maintain and repair devices to prolong their use. Use protective cases and perform regular maintenance (HINT: ask ChatGPT what regular maintenance and use habits might help prolong the lifespan of your device).
– Fix issues instead of replacing devices at the first sign of trouble.
– Upgrade components like RAM or hard drives instead of buying new devices.

Making Sustainable Choices:
– Choose electronics from manufacturers that prioritize sustainability and design products to be durable and easy to recycle.
– Buy refurbished or second-hand electronics to reduce demand for new products and keep usable devices out of landfills.
– Donate or sell functional devices to give them a second life.

Day-to-Day Practices:
– Educate others about proper e-waste disposal and its environmental impact.
– Advocate for policies promoting responsible e-waste management and recycling infrastructure.
– Be mindful of electronic consumption and avoid unnecessary upgrades.
– Choose multi-functional devices to reduce the number of separate gadgets needed.

Join Us in Combatting E-Waste

E-waste is a growing concern that affects our environment, health, and economy. By taking steps to properly dispose of and recycle e-waste, extending the lifespan of our electronic devices, making sustainable choices, and advocating for better policies, we can all contribute to reducing the impact of e-waste.

Join us at our e-waste collection event on June 15th to make a difference and learn more about how you can help combat e-waste in our community. Together, we can create a more sustainable future for everyone.

We change our hair like we change our mind like we change our electronic devices. What’s left is perhaps a regrettable hair cut and a whole lot of e-waste. What do we do with it – well, the e-waste at least?

When we let electronics sit collecting dust, we limit their life cycle – ending it in the kitchen junk drawer or storage stall. Worse, when they are improperly disposed, like they often are, they end up in landfill or a trash incinerator.

• 70% of our overall toxic waste is e-waste.
• 85% of our e-waste is sent to landfills and incinerators.
• Every year, we generate around 40 million tons of electronic waste every year (that’s like throwing 800 laptops out every second).

When used electronics make their way from the junk drawer and into the garbage can, while they may be gone from our immediate environments, they are very much present in our larger ones.

Most of our e-waste makes it to landfills or to the incinerator, where they will be integrated into our earth and air. Electronics have difficulty degrading. They also have toxic materials in them that, when exposed to elements as they will be in a landfill or incinerator, can cause them to leach into the surrounding environment. These toxins can cause the following health risks when improperly disposed and left to inhabit the environments we live in:

• Lead: can effect every organ system in our body by mimicking or inhibiting the actions of calcium and interact with proteins; can cause neurological damage, particularly in children
• Mercury: toxic to nervous, digestive, immune system; can cause blindness, muscle weakness, and other neurological effects
• Arsenic: carcinogen and neurotoxin
• Beryllium: continued exposure can cause skin diseases and acute beryllium disease, lead to lung cancer

Neglecting to appropriately manage these chemicals neglects our health; Neglecting to make use of the components of electronic devices neglects their health and life cycle. When we waste the potential of our electronics, that’s when they become e-waste.

We can improve the lives of our electronic devices, the people that manage them, and ourselves when we refurbish and recycle them intentionally. Bring your used electronics to a used electronics collection and recycling event. Be sure to make note of the items below that can and cannot be accepted by our partner, Electronics Value Recovery.

Acceptable Materials:

• AC adapters
• Cell phones
• Circuit boards
• Desktops
• Docking stations
• Flat screen monitors
• Hard drives
• Keyboards and mice
• Laptops
• Lithium Batteries
• Networking supplies
• Processors
• RAM
• Servers
• Tablets
• Wire

Prohibited Items:

• Ammunition
• Combustible materials
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Furniture
• Hazardous materials
• Household appliances
• Items containing radiological material
• Liquids
• Medical Waste
• Trash

Charge Back Items:

• Batteries
• Christmas lights
• CRT monitors
• Flat screen TVs
• Low grade consumer electronics (heavy plastic)
• Printers
• Toner/ink

Diving deeper.

Check out these podcast episodes to learn more about the value of used electronics.

Value waste/wasted value: e-waste recycling in Asia