A question on many people’s minds these days is what is electronic waste recycling and why do it?
What is Electronic Waste Recycling?
Electronics Recycling is the process of transforming e-waste and turning it into reusable materials. It is an essential activity that is beneficial to the environment and businesses.
We live in a world where users keep upgrading or changing their electronic devices and invest in faster and more effective products. This means more waste is produced that is not biodegradable.
Massive amounts of electronic appliances, phones and other electronic waste (e-waste) are ending up at landfills every day, despite most of them being recyclable.
E-waste involves anything that you can plug into an electrical outlet that you no longer have a use for. This includes refrigerators, cell phones, old televisions, lights, and even hearing devices.
Every electronics recycling effort at home or at the workplace makes a difference, and this is why.
5 Benefits of Electronic Recycling
1. Protecting The Environment
Electronics Recycling keeps an array of toxic materials out of the environment. Lighting such as lamps and fluorescent tubes contain harmful mercury that can seep into waterways when it is discarded at landfills.
However, when lighting equipment is recycled, the mercury is salvaged and safely utilized to produce products such as dental amalgam. The same applies to batteries, where cadmium, lead, and mercury is retrieved.
For instance, when you recycle a lead-acid battery, both the toxic lead-acid and the plastic casing is recycled, while the sulphuric acid inside is neutralised and transformed into sodium sulphate for making detergent and fertilizer.
2. Lowering Business Expenses
E-waste recycling is not just beneficial for the environment, but it could have a positive impact on your business finances too. Most governments are banning dumping or charging exorbitant prices for dumping. Your business can also benefit from non-tangible dividends by reducing future costs of non-renewable materials and uplifting staff morale and retention.
3. Supporting Non-Renewable Recycling
The ever-growing demand for electronics means an increased demand for metals and nonrenewable resources that must be mined and processed. But, electronic devices like appliances, cell phones and other e-waste can be salvaged and reused.
These resources include aluminium, gold, steel, and copper, not to mention the substantial amounts of plastic that can be used for making new products.
E-waste recycling means these materials can be re-used, providing more resources to manufacture your next TV or laptop.
4. Showing the World Your Business is Environmentally Friendly
Staff members increasingly prefer to work for companies that support the community and care about what happens to the environment.
Recycling is an easy and tangible way to show your business’s commitment to environmental and social values, and reinforcing these principles to your staff members.
More and more companies nowadays are playing their part by promoting green and sustainable practices.
5. It has Never Been This Easy to Recycle E-Waste
Recycling electronic waste doesn’t take a lot of effort but it reaps tremendous rewards. There are many places and waste companies that are more than willing to accept your old printers, TV’s, laptops, phones, or unwanted gadgets that you no longer have a use for.
Conclusion
I hope that this post has been useful and that it has convinced you to consider electronic waste recycling as a way to create a better world and doing your bit to save the planet.
