No, e-waste does not refer to our favourite techy geek after two wine coolers. It’s what our old electronics become when we throw them out as they are obsolete and although it only accounts for about 2% of garbage in landfills, it represents 70% of overall toxic waste (these are American figures taken from here: http://www.dosomething.org).
The environment has always been a passionate topic for me – even oh 15-ish years ago when I was Treasurer of our high school environment committee. And now that I have children environmental concerns have become an integral part of our daily lives. Of course we do the regular every day recycling and turning off lights when we leave a room. But we also went to lengths such as moving to a house half the size of our previous and making it extremely energy efficient. This might sound clichéd but just looking at my children makes me want to do anything I can to help them have a better future.
Because technology evolves so quickly and equipment becomes obsolete in a flash, e-waste is growing into an ever-increasing problem of monster proportions. Also as technology costs less and less we are discarding our old stuff faster. It almost seems as though tech pieces are becoming disposable (how many of us have lost a mobile phone and been just a bit put-out – would that have happened 15 years ago when mobile phones weren’t mainstream?).
So in our biz e-waste is something we can help with. Whenever there is a clean-out of old equipment Equator employees are asked if they want the kit otherwise it is sent to charities so that takes care of the re-using of equipment.
What else can we all do?
To recycle your mobile phone: http://www.tradeinmymobile.co.uk/consumer/index.asp some models even get cash for recycling (or £2 to Save the Children).
To recycle all other electronic items can be dropped off at local Designated Collection Facilities (find yours here http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/banklocator/banklocator.aspx). There is no cost for dropping the goods off and the DCFs make sure that the items are disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.
Or hang on to that piece of technology just a little bit longer. Who needs the latest mobile phone when polar bears are dying? (I do realize this is an extreme way of thinking btw but I think this is what we are going to have to do to move toward). As Greenpeace says, the best way to handle the e-waste is to not produce the dangerous chemicals in the first place.
We can support this by buying products from manufacturers that are committed to removing toxic chemicals from their products. In Dell’s quest to become “the greenest technology company on the planet” that exactly what they’ve done. Furthermore they have committed to eliminate 20 million pounds of desktop and laptop packaging over the next four years through revolutionary packaging methods.
Let’s all do our part – at home and at work.