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Disposing of Electronics: Green Ways of Combating E-Waste
While technology becomes obsolete at an increasingly rapid rate, with technological
fads coming and going as fast as you can “tweet” about it, the e-waste that fills
our landfills to greater and greater capacity every year isn’t going anywhere any
time soon. Electronic waste or “e-waste” refers to any electronic devices which
have been discarded due to advancements in technology, fashion, or because they
are nearing the end of their useful life. This covers everything from computer parts
to microwave ovens to smoke alarms. Environment Canada reports that 140,000 tonnes
of e-waste are discarded every year in Canadian landfills, a number which increases
every year.
The plastic encasings and metallic insides that make electronics work turn into
non-biodegradable e-waste once they are tossed out and often exported to China,
India, and developing nations. As a result, an e-waste industry has developed as
people mine the discarded devices for their valuable elements, including copper,
silver, and gold. Unfortunately, not only are electronics mostly composed of non-biodegradable
materials, but they contain toxic elements, such as mercury, lead, arsenic and chromium,
all of which are known or suspected to harm wildlife and human health. Furthermore,
the caustic acids and burning methods used to dismantle old electronics pose serious
environmental and health risks for communities that rely on the e-waste industry
for income.
On top of all the materials sent to landfills, some researches estimate that over
75% of all electronic devices are in fact in storage, due in no small part to the
uncertainty of how to manage the materials. Sound familiar? Here are some ideas
on how to get rid of those electronic elephants in your rooms that you or your housemates
have been trying to ignore:
Sell
Remember, for one person, “keeping up with modern technology” may mean that its
time to buy simple a computer, not necessarily the latest and fanciest one. One
person’s “junkmail” of electronic devices is another person’s technological treasure!
Try selling your items on sites like Ebay or Craigslist. Thinking green and making
green are not mutually exclusive.
Donate
If you would prefer to donate your computer to a charitable organization, there
are many available, many of which will pick up your computer for free. Industry
Canada's Computers for Schools program is one such option, another is
Electronic Recycling Association, a non-profit organization, collects old computers for donations and recycling. They accept computers, monitors, laptops, printers,
and accessories and have drop off depots and pick-up services.. You can also donate to thrift stores
like Salvation Army, provided the computers are in decent working condition.
Trade-In”
You can also check if your retailer offers buyback or trade-in options, which are
gaining increasing popularity in all technological fields. At many stores you can
trade in your old equipment to earn cash or credit towards the purchase of new hardware
from the same store.
E-Cycle companies
For a hassle-free solution to e-waste, enlist the services of e-cycling companies
that provide pickup and disposal services for old electronic equipment. Some of
these companies do charge a small fee, however, they will wipe any hard drives as
needed and either sell your equipment for you or donate it to charity.
How can you avoid amassing such waste in the future? There are a few easy ways you
can plant seeds for an e-friendly future:
- Consider buying pre-owned goods. Not only will this save you a pretty penny,
but it will save you from being a corporate puppet, programmed to bite every time
a new, oh, lets just say, apple is offered up by a corporate snake. Fight the man,
not mankind!
- Keep your devices longer. Instead of buying a new computer, save money and
cut waste by upgrading your current one. For example, you can increase your computer’s
memory (RAM) or replace its hard drive or battery. Also, though it may take some
effort convincing your teenager of the fact, you do not need to buy a new phone
every year, as most will work for 5. If it is time to buy a new phone, you can celebrate
the green in your Christmas colours with pride by giving your kids one of the many
snazzy “green phones” now available on the market, made with a very limited amount
of hazardous chemicals and materials.
Now you’re fully equipped to be a lean, green, e-waste combating machine! We can’t
stop the advancement of technology, but we can do our best to stop the perpetuation
of excessive e-waste.