In this article, NatureNews.Africa brings you a few steps you can take with the phones, laptops and chargers you have stashed at home to alleviate the e-waste burden.
According to United Nation’s data, the world generates a staggering 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste a year, weighing more than all of the commercial airliners ever made. and only 17.4% of that was recycled. The world produces as much as 50 million tonnes of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) a year, Only 20% of this is formally recycled.
The e-waste produced annually is worth over $62.5 billion, more than the GDP of most countries. There is 100 times more gold in a tonne of e-waste than in a tonne of gold ore.
As technology giants unveil new technology devices and models, one wonders if these companies are oblivious of the fact that they are contributing to the growing problem of electronic waste.
The limited lifespan of many tech gadgets combined with few options to fix older devices, have caused the issue of e-waste to surge over the years. Large volumes of e-waste are shipped to developing countries that lack the capacity to reject these imports or infrastructure to safely recycle them.
The World Health Organization have also warned that children, with their smaller hands, are often used to process mountains of e-waste in developing nations in search of valuable elements such as copper, silver, palladium and more. The WHO said more than 18 million children are exposed to a range of negative health impacts as they engage in this informal e-waste processing industry.
The collective impact of recycling e-waste can be staggering. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, expert says 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
Here are a few steps you can take with your electronics, old phones, laptops, chargers to alleviate the e-waste burden.
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1. Don’t rush to upgrade
Environmental advocates say the most important step to tackling the mounting e-waste problem is simply to try and use your electronics for as long as possible. In some ways, that’s getting easier than ever.
While tech manufacturers have come under fire for tactics aimed at making you upgrade, policymakers have recently enacted changes to push companies to make it easier for customers to repair consumer electronics and support the rise of the Right-to-Repair movement.
Earlier this year, Apple and Samsung launched their self-service repair stores, offering parts for users seeking do-it-yourself fixes for their smartphones.
2. Find an e-waste disposal service around you
Instead of stalking your electronic wastes or disposing them off as you dispose your regular waste, you can check Google to find nearby ewaste recycling places to take them to. In Lagos, there are a number of ewaste recyclers like, E-waste Producer Responsibility Organisation Nigeria, Hinckley Ewaste recycling, E-terra technologies limited, just to mention a few indigenous ewaste managing companies, that are Very helpful in converting and managing ewaste.
3. Check with the retailer
If you can’t find a recycling center nearby, a growing list of major retailers — including Staples and Best Buy — also have programs that let customers bring in e-waste for recycling. And many producers, including Apple (AAPL), have programs that offer credits or free recycling in exchange for trading-in used gadgets. Google (GOOG), for example, offers an option to request a free shipping label to mail in some used gadgets and electronics for recycling.
