What is E-Waste?

E-waste is a general term that describes the large amount of electronic waste that is produced each year. According to the EPA, in 2008, Americans generated over 5.5 million tons of e-waste (in terms of weight), or about 92,000 tons per day. The composition of the e-waste is also a major part of the problem, since it is often mixed with dangerous elements and substances that can be hazardous to the environment and human health.

Electronic waste is any discarded material that is composed of electrical or electronic devices that can be recycled, or disposed of, in a responsible manner. It refers to a large variety of materials that contain electrical or electronic components, including computers, monitors, televisions, fax machines, copiers, and printers, but excludes batteries. Ridly rubbish removal Sydney states that rubbish removal companies can take your e-waste and a lot of the time they are the most environmentally friendly option. You just have to make sure that they actually dispose of the waste in a safe and responsible way. Check whether they have the necessary equipment and training to do so and do some research on their record with environmental regulators catalytic converter recycling

Why Is E-Waste Bad?

Electronic waste can harm the environment because it contains substances that are hazardous to human health and the environment. These hazards include heavy metals such as mercury and lead, plastics, and other materials. The materials may be released to the environment when electronic devices are discarded, burnt, or subjected to improper storage.

The majority of e-waste today is discarded in landfills rather than recycled, because it is difficult to recycle many electronic items. The most common sources of e-waste are electronic products and appliances. Other sources include manufacturing equipment and materials, cell phones, computers, televisions and other electronic products.

Recycling Your E-Waste

Electronic devices can be recycled in a number of ways. Most of them involve some sort of post-consumer deconstruction, which separates the non-degradable components from the recyclable ones, and then processes the latter at specialized electronic-waste recycling facilities. If e-waste is not deconstructed, then it will just end up in landfills containing toxic chemicals and materials, where it can leach harmful toxins into the environment and where it may pollute groundwater or turn leached chemicals into toxins. In some cases, e-waste is not

Other common methods of recycling e-waste are to reuse or repurpose it. Reuses can include repairing the electronic device, reducing the amount of e-waste by reusing only the materials that are valuable, or shredding the item and reusing the material in some other way. Repurposing generally involves using the material in a new way that is not its primary intended one, such as reusing the material as insulation or packaging or as other end-uses.

What Should You Do with Your E-Waste?

First thing, spend time trying to separate all of your electronic waste so it can be recycled or disposed of properly.  Next, take what you can do to separate your electronics into several different parts and after that, take your newly separated parts to a recycling centre. If you don’t know what to do with your e-waste, don’t throw it out. instead, you can recycle it, give it away for free, or donate it to a charity that will take it off your hands safely (such as Goodwill or The Red Cross) and put it to good use.