Steps to Follow in Proper Disposal of E-wastes
October 24th, 2011Obsolete and used electronic devices, commonly known as e-waste, are increasingly making a significant share in the volume of total waste across the globe. Thankfully, there are few options available for recycling through which one can recycle phones and other electronic gadgets for reuse.
These days the business involving electronic waste recycling activities have gained momentum in most of the developed countries and growing into a fast consolidating business.
The modern concept of recycling differs from the conventional method of recycling where the devices go through an energy-intensive down-cycling process and converted into a raw material form. The modern concept involves reuse and refurbishing of old equipment which is likely to diminish the demand for new products and raw materials. These are some of the environmental and social benefits of reuse.
On the other hand, it’ll also save huge quantity of pure water and electricity involved in manufacturing, require less packaging per unit, widen the scope of technology to reach all sections of the society due to greater affordability of products and also reduce the use of landfills.
Most of the audiovisual equipments like televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones and other hand-held devices and even the computer components contain precious substances suitable for reuse that may include lead, copper, and gold, etc.
To manage the increasing volume of e-waste efficiently, many state and local governments, electronics manufacturers, and non-profit organisations have designed comprehensive recycling campaigns and programs.
recycling mobile phones companies are also doing a great job in this respect. Several developed states have even introduced laws to speed up the collection procedure of certain electronics items.
How to proceed for e-waste recycling?
a) The options available for e-waste recycling generally vary across the regions. So, the first thing you should do is getting information about the local recycling program available in your area. Apart from the conventional recyclers, some manufacturers and retailers dealing in electronic goods are also offering recycling programs these days.
b) Once you choose a suitable option, the next thing is to ensure whether a recycler is operating under strict environmental regulations and providing highly safe environment for the workers or not.
A few general queries to ask your recycler should include:
Is the recycler certified under the environmental management certification and does it follow the norms set for the industry? Is the recycler actually able to recycle most of the e-waste materials collected? The most efficient company can recycle 90 percent or even more of the total e-wastes collected by the firm.
Ask the company whether they have any written procedures for extracting and disposing of electronic items. Many manufacturer and government sponsored programs are now providing extensive online information about recycling method in details.
c) Besides choosing a good recycler, you must also take some important measures before you send a device for recycling. Take proper care to delete all data from your computer or mobile phone memory before sending it to a recycler. Also, make sure that the data are permanently erased from the device for which you can check out the various options available.
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