Where can you recycle your electronics?
If you're about to throw away something you used to plug in or turn on, you may be dealing with e-waste.
What does e-waste include? Electronic devices that you no longer want or that have reached the end of their useful life. From refrigerators to smart phones and used batteries, electronic waste accumulates in your homes and in your landfills.
Why can't you throw e-waste in the regular container?
E-waste is a hazardous material. Over time, their electronics can filter out toxic elements, such as mercury and lead, which can be harmful to the environment and humans.
It’s not a trivial problem, as many televisions, washing machines, mobile phones and computers add up to more than 46 million tons of electronic waste, according to the International Telecommunication Union and only 20% is recycled.
So what can you do?
On the one hand, you can donate electronic products that you no longer want to reuse or recycle them in securely managed sites helps to control all potential hazards.
Recycling is also another option that allows you to recover safe resources such as recyclable plastics and even gold, copper or platinum.
These are some ways you can recycle your electronic devices:
Reuse products that keep working
Just because you don't use a device doesn't mean it’s unusable. Let's imagine that you've just been given a new mobile phone at work. What do you do in that case? You don't have to throw away the old one just because it's an older model. In this case, you could donate it or if you don't want to donate it, you can also choose to sell it on a second-hand platform, such as Vibbo or Wallapop and recoup some of the investment.
Recondition devices that have a defect
It is increasingly common for the mobile screen to end up broken or scratched. Avoid the first impulsive action, which would be to throw it away and buy a new one. It is very easy to go to the mobile technical service and have the screen replaced by a new and shiny, brand new one. And the smartphone will be like new and you’ll save a ton of money.
The same thing happens with a computer tower and its corresponding hardware or even with keyboards or mice. Remember that electronic products are made of different components to which you can put new parts and if one part has been damaged, the rest will be in perfect condition. You don't have to throw everything away.
Recycle electronic waste taking it to a clean point
If there is finally nothing to fix or nothing to do with a device in question or you prefer to buy a new one directly, we recommend that you recycle it.
Keep in mind though that the organic waste container or even the plastic one are not intended for electronic components. You can choose to take the device to a local clean spot. You can also deliver the device to the place where you are going to buy a new one, as establishments of this type are obliged to collect electronic waste if you make a similar purchase. In fact, there are some e-waste collection campaigns in exchange for interesting discounts for the purchase of new devices.
