The Surprising Price of E-Waste

Tens of millions of phones, millions of laptops and tablets, millions of televisions and cameras - so many electronic devices enter and leave our lives on a regular basis. Why would you get rid of a phone, television or laptop? Everyone has their reasons. Maybe the phone has a large crack in the screen, or maybe the television has burned pixels. So many electronics are replaced and when it’s “out with the old, in with the new”, you’re dealing with causing a lot of ecological situations that are adverse for our earth, especially since so many people don’t think about utilizing E-Waste recycling disposal.

Electronic Waste is a Global Issue

Waste of electronics has become a global issue. It brings about concerns on soil pollution, air pollution, water pollution and even information security issues. When electronic waste isn’t properly handled it can cause all sorts of toxins to enter the soil and the water, and no one wants to have to deal with removing the toxins from the earth or the water. Not only that, because we’re buying so many new devices the manufacturers require more parts, which they get from serious mining around the world. This extreme amount of mining causes more issues with the earth as well.

E-Waste Recycling Solutions

But what are the solutions? As it turns out, there aren’t many. We could require the creators of these electronic devices to offer a buyback program, but this wouldn’t make them money. Exactly the opposite - it would cost them a great deal of money. It would be amazing if we could have these companies buy back the devices and then repurpose the components for new ones, the ultimate in “reduce, reuse, recycle”, but it’s simply something that they won’t do unless they’re forced.

We could require that all of our devices get repaired, and this might save a bit of money and would actually likely help to reduce unemployment as well. But again, it’s likely not something that manufacturers will be rushing to do, especially since the average consumer would rather purchase a brand new phone instead of repairing the one that they have. We also can’t rely on resale through websites like eBay because older devices are usually not supported after a specific amount of time. It simply doesn’t make sense to purchase something that you can’t even use.

E-Waste Recycling and Disposal 

When it comes right down to it, E-waste recycling disposal is our only option. It’s the best way to dispose of any used electronic waste properly, where the pieces that can be removed and reused are and any hazardous materials are taken care of properly.