Recycle Your Electronics Effectively With These Top Tips
Technology evolves at a fast pace. People regularly keep upgrading their appliances, electronics or phones as new technologies come up and old ones get obsolete. Sadly, majority of people do not consider the environmental factors when it comes to buying new electronics and getting rid of the old ones. Electronic recycling makes sure that obsolete and discarded electronics are handled in the best possible manner and damage to the environment is reduced.
E-waste recycling
E-waste comprises of all the electronics that have reached their end of life. Such electronics can be VCRs that are no longer useful or computers/laptops that do not run properly. Recycling of electronic waste involves reusing and recovering of multiple components of electronic devices like glass, palladium, metal, copper, silver and gold. Responsible electronic recycling providers offer the following benefits:
- Diverts waste from landfills
- Decreases the amount of toxins in the environment
- Helps repurpose metals and electronics
- Has a positive impact on human health
Important tips for recycling electronic waste
Donate your old electronics to charity
In case your electronic device is still in a functional condition, you can donate it to the people who need it. A lot of charities can put your device to good use or resell and fix it to further their cause. Apart from donating to charities, you can also donate your electronics to a nonprofit program, school or library to become eligible for a tax break on your next year's tax return.
Sell your unwanted electronics
You can sell your old electronics when you no longer need them. Owing to constant technological advancement, electronic devices lose their value quickly as newer and better models enter into the market. Places like eBay and Craigslist can prove to be great for selling electronic items.
Recycle e-waste with the help of tech companies
Another good option for recycling e-waste is by giving it back to the company or manufacturer you bought it from. Many ewaste companies and tech firms provide recycling programs to make the process easy for the consumer. Certain firms also provide good incentives for getting your electronics recycled from them. For example, Apple permits customers to trade their outdated or old device for a price slash on a new one.
Things to do before recycling electronics
Electronic devices comprise sensitive data and personal information. After recycling your device, make sure that you have backed up the information. Before recycling your electronic devices make sure that you backup your data, remove any attached storage and wipe your data.