E-Waste Solutions
7 Strategies To Reduce Electronic Waste.
Next time you have a gadget you want to get rid of, use one of these strategies to prevent e-waste.
Have you ever thought about what happens with your mobile phone, computer or any other gadget when you throw it away?
Now imagine: every single second, people throw away 1000 laptops!
Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the most fast-growing problems in the world. In 2019, a record of 53.6 million tonnes of electronic waste generated worldwide. An increase of 21% in just five years, according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020. By 2030, this number will reach 74 million tonnes, estimated.
In truth, only 17,4% of global e-waste was collected and properly recycled. The other 44,3 million tonnes of e-waste, valued at $57 billion, were placed in landfills, burned, or illegally traded.
On the business side, an astonishing amount of raw materials ends in trash. On the social side, all e-waste causes serious health, societal and environmental issues.
Next time you have some gadget you want to get rid of or feel is useless, think wisely and use one of these strategies to fight electronic waste.
1 — Stop. Re-think and Re-evaluate your decision.
Before buying a new device to replace your old one, think twice to know if you really need it or if it’s something you want.
Evaluate what value it will give in a personal or professional way. If it will not bring any value, avoid buying the new device.
2 — Maintain or Repair to extend the life of your electronics.
Take care of your electronics, and you will save your money and reduce e-waste.
Maintain your equipment clean, avoid overcharging batteries, avoid fulfilling your memory space by storing data in the cloud, and find ways to keep the equipment protected and safe.
If you have any part damaged, find ways to repair those parts and fix before you buy. Ifixit is an incredible platform on a mission to help you fix every electronic device.
3 — Sell old electronics.
It is another way to reduce electronic waste and earn some money.
Just find a good place or online store to sell it, and, for sure, someone will want your nice old gadget.
In Portugal and Europe, a good option is to use OLX.
4 — Donate used electronics to social programs.
By donating, you can help people in need through social programs or organizations, but make sure you are donating safely and correctly.
By doing it, you give a second life to your equipment and make someone happy.
In Portugal, even if broken, you can donate your old computer/laptop to Student Keep. Their technicians will fix it and provide it for free to students who don’t have the financial capacity to buy one.
5 — Buy products with environmental friendly labels.
If you want to buy your next product, search for products labelled Energy Star or certified by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT).
Devices with those labels consume less energy and reduce over-utilization.
6 — Recycle electronics and batteries and dispose of them properly.
Recycle your devices properly to prevent the damages caused by e-waste.
By recycling some expensive electronics parts of old electronics for re-usage, you can prevent waste of energy and resources to mine new raw materials or make new parts.
Look for electronic recycling programs, and you might even earn some money.
In Portugal you can work with the organization — Electrão
7 — Spread the word.
If you’ve done successfully any strategy to reduce e-waste, you should share your knowledge with your family, friends, and teammates.
Make them more aware of the consequences of e-waste and the best actions. You have the potential to make a difference within your community.
What are your strategies to reduce e-waste?
👇 Let us know in the comments. 💬
Want to design products with circular and sustainability strategies?
👉 Let’s talk: hello@designpossibility.com
