With growing technology, electronics has been the largest waste contributor and the numbers are alarming. As people tend to get easy to use and highly functional devices, more old devices are going to landfills, releasing hazardous toxins into the environment. Technology is created to make people’s lives better so it should not be a cause of harmful environmental effects. In recent years there is a rampant increase in the production of e-waste and computer recycling and disposal is a promising solution.
From laptops to computers, printers, photocopiers and keyboards, there is a long list of electronics that are thrown away into dumpsters when people replace them with the latest models. Living conveniently is not wrong and upgrading your old electronics is not something to be guilty about, however, your old devices must be taken care of. PC recycling and disposal is the right thing to do in order to protect your ecosystem when you are stepping up your life with technology.
Electronic waste – a modern dilemma
Also known as e-scrap or e-waste, electronic waste is the old electronic devices that go into waste for several reasons. People either dump e-waste because the devices stop working, they are broken or they don’t need them anymore. E-waste includes anything that has a battery or comes with an electric cord. This is a simple way to separate your electronic waste and avoid sending it to the dumpster.
The production of e-waste is not a natural calamity but a man-made issue that has come with the need for a better life. Technology has taken over our lives and from producing entirely bio-waste, now we have shifted towards the production of toxic electronic waste that we can call a modern dilemma. The increasing number must be given attention.
Planned Obsolescence
The tech industry is playing a huge role in our lives and there are some absurd techniques of making money that shapes our electronics usage. One such concept is planned obsolescence and it is the concept of making low-quality products that stop working after a short life span so the person would either buy a new device from the tech companies or pay for the repair. But the latter is unlikely because the production of old gadgets is discontinued after a short time to promote new purchases.
Short Life of Electronic Gadgets
With the constant need for updates in this age of innovation, the life span of the devices is reduced as a need of time. This increases the proportion of consumers who have to return the old and broken devices and get a new better version with advanced functions. It is also because people prefer a highly updated life-style and a device with a long-life span will not always fit the scenario.
Portability is a Necessity
It’s no more the time when smart watches, cell phones and advanced tablets were considered a luxury. At this time, it’s more of a necessity for every person to get portable devices to survive in this fast-paced world. This portability increases the ease of use of a device and has become important in our daily lives.
These smart devices are introduced every year with better features in an updated version. Large capacity storage and highly functional batteries make our lives more and more dependent on new tech and that causes us to buy more of it and throw the used one away instead of recycling old computers.
Massive Consumption of Low-Quality Devices
With time, the devices are becoming more affordable for everyone. These act as a symbol of status but the companies have created a cheaper version of every device at all price ranges. This allows the masses to purchase such devices and rely on cheap electronics in their daily lives. The lower prices increase sales and thus the cycle of unnecessary sale and dumping away of old devices is fueled up.
Why Recycle Computer Equipment?
It is a global necessity to minimise the production of e-waste and that is evident from the staggering facts about electronic waste. The world is improving at recognising the elements affecting our ecosystem such as straws and plastic bags but it’s time to realise how much of the electronics are wasted and the adverse effects of those wasted devices. E-waste also needs attention because there are many factors that would be improved with a reduced electronic waste production.
Conservation of natural resources
Lesser e-waste production will help conserve more natural resources that can be later used for other purposes. Reducing e-waste will also help in the reduction of greenhouse gases that have left earth and conserve the natural fossil fuels of our planet. Most of the electronic gadgets are discarded in the bins and that lead to waste of important and precious metals that are used in the production of such devices. From silver, gold and cobalt to tin and aluminum, there is a huge variety of metals used to create portable smart devices.
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Do you know? |
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There is an estimate that a significant amount of gold reserves that are up to 7% in the whole world may be found in the trash cans in the form of e-waste. |
Components of e-waste
You cannot throw away electronic waste as if it was regular waste because there is a huge risk of toxins released into the environment from these hazardous devices. Basically, our e-waste has two components that need to be separated when discarding it. It is a crucial step in computer recycling and disposal.
Toxic components of e-waste
One part of the e-waste is toxic to the environment and must be processed by experienced companies to be used for better purposes instead of harming the ecosystem. There are many precious metals and chemicals that are toxic for animals and humans in several ways. The components are packed inside the devices but once they are broken down or damaged, they are released into the landfill soil and leached to nearby water body, polluting the water as well and thus becoming a threat to marine life. When you recycle old computers, it is important to realise that these components must be properly taken care of.
E-Waste Toxins |
Where Is It Found? |
Related Health Issues |
Cadmium |
This toxic element is found in rechargeable batteries. | Inhaling cadmium causes respiratory disorders and kidney problems leading to renal failure on higher consumption. It can act as a poison if ingested in larger amounts but even low-level exposure causes brain damage and anemia. |
Lead |
Lead is present in acid batteries and old electronics such as tv sets and radios. | Inhaling lead can highly damage nerves and cause brain damage leading to retardation and paralysis. It also leaves adverse effects on human kidney at low level exposure. It is lethal if consumed in higher amount. |
Sulfur |
Sulfur is found in lead-acid batteries. | Sulfur reacts with environmental chemicals and results in the production of sulfuric acid that can cause acid burns or blindness if contacted with eyes. |
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) |
It is a synthetic resin found in the plastic part of electronic devices. | It has a ratio of toxic chemicals including lead and cadmium and thus leaves adverse effects on human health. |
Harmless components of e-waste
The other part of e-waste is the harmless components that includes some plastics and glass of the body and metals such as gold, copper and zinc that can be thrown away if they will be properly recycled. For computer recycling schemes, these components are easier to handle and can be dealt with other types of waste.
History of e-waste disposal
The 1970 technology revolution has brought this world to a better place but e-waste is an outcome that we ignore. After the world realised how harmful it can be, there were some agencies created and set of rules designed to reduce the toxic effects and use the technology in a safer way. These rules include WEEE regulations in the UK and RCRA 1976 in the United States that made it illegal to dump your electric waste in a regular trash can.
E-waste being a major contributor towards polluted water bodies, Basal Convention was created to protect international waters from dumping of e-waste in the shores. This convention has binding laws and works till today to protect the environment and water bodies. Environmental agency in the UK is the main government agency for the regulation of electronics recycling and disposal and dealing with e-waste.
Procedure of computer recycling and disposal
Are you interested to know how do you recycle your computer equipment? Here is the complete procedure that goes into computer recycling and disposal.
A very huge amount of raw material goes into the making of a computer and the growing need of more electronics is a reason why our planet is running out of natural resources. With the increased awareness, the tech companies are going towards greener options for the production of electronics and one of the best ways is to utilise the materials that is already used to make new devices.
The best way is to recycle electronics and get the materials used for the production of new ones instead of mining the material from scratch. Electronic device recycling is an important method of conserving the natural environment by saving it from the production of toxins and reusing the raw material again.
Working of computer equipment recycling
Here are the steps involved in computer recycling and disposal that the old devices undergo in order to create technologically improved devices.
- Computers, electronics and all such devices are collected from the respective locations.
- All the devices are manually disassembled to separate the materials, and parts of the device. It includes the circuit boards, metallic screws, material used in the making of the body including plastic, glass and aluminum.
- The next step is shredding and granulating of the material of different categories in machines to be used further.
- All the different materials are separated using the magnetic and eddy current methods so that the granulated materials are also divided into different categories.
- Next the glass and plastic are processed again to create pallets that will be later used by the electronic companies and the basal metals will be sent off to tech companies after complete computer recycling and disposal.
What parts of computers can be recycled?
The whole computer has the potential to undergo electronic recycling as all the components can be recycled and used in different industries apart from tech companies. The material used in the making of the body such as glass and plastic can be used for different purposes. The internal materials are retrieved to be sent off to the respective industries to create new products. All the material can be used to create better electronics and updated devices. In the next section, we have explained how each element retrieved from computer recycling is reused.
What materials are in a PC and how are they reused when retrieved?
If you wonder how these components retrieved from recycling computer parts are used, here is a detailed vision into that.
- Metals retrieved are sold as a raw material to be used in different industries that work with such elements. Materials such as gold and silver can be sold to jewellers and other respective industries.
- Plastics are sent off to companies that work with the production of plastic products such as toys, trays, containers and so on.
- Leaded Glass is sent to electronics companies to be reused in the making of screens for devices and non-leaded glass is sent to companies that create glass ware.
- Circuit boards are reserved for companies that create computers and electronics. The metals are retrieved from these boards to be used for other purposes.
The need for security and data destruction in computer recycling and disposal
If you wonder how do you dispose of old computers, you need to realise the importance of data destruction. When you send off tons of company computers for recycling, the data stored in the devices can be retrieved and misused by many to tarnish your company image. Even your personal computer can be accessed by getting the hard drive so data security is an important component of computer recycling and disposal. Permanent hard drive destruction can be a really helpful additional service that you can get for your own safety and security. Before you toss your old laptop for recycling or donate or decide on selling your old PC, it is important to realise the importance of data security services. If you have sensitive information saved in the devices, go for hard drive destruction and keep your data safe.
How do I prepare my computer for recycling? |
In order to prepare your electronic device for recycling, you need to take a few steps mentioned below.
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Formal vs informal computer recycling and disposal
There are two types of computer recycling and disposal and you must be aware of both in order to legally recycle electronics.
Formal computer equipment recycling
- Formally recycling computer parts is legal in all countries of the world.
- There is a strict certification process that goes into to formal recycling of electronics.
- It uses advanced machinery and technology and separate and reuse the components.
- It is in accordance with the health measures and safety standards.
- It uses pollution control technologies to keep the environment clean during the process of computer recycling and disposal.
- It includes the services to wipe a computer with data destruction and hard drive destruction
- It is an expensive procedure as it includes the data destruction services.
Informal computer equipment recycling
- Informally recycling computer parts is illegal and is not allowed in most parts of the world.
- There is no license required and thus it is an unauthorised and unregulated process.
- It uses crude dismantling processes that requires the workers to use their bare hands for the procedure.
- It doesn’t take care of any health and safety measures and doesn’t provide protective gear to the workers.
- No pollution control technology is used, instead high carbon emission results.
- Data breaching is more likely because data destruction is not offered.
- It is a low-cost process but exploits the workers and environment.
Bulk computer disposal and recycling services for businesses and offices
An office recycling program can be really helpful to promote an environment of recycling in the professional space and spread awareness. This will also help you improve your brand image and contribute towards a better ecosystem. To get office recycling services in the UK, you can contact a reliable service provider such as CITD. All you need to do is to contact us, share your location for pick up and the next computer recycling steps will be taken care of by our team.
Computer recycling and disposals in the UK
CITD offers efficient computer recycling services all around the UK. You can find your respective location page and contact us to get electronics disposal and recycling services in time.
- London
- North West
- Yorkshire
- North East
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- South West
- Eastern
- South East
- Wales
- All Locations
Tech companies that recycle their own electronics
The following tech companies accept their own old devices to be recycled so if you have electronics from these companies, you can contact them for PC recycling.
- LG
- Microsoft
- Dell
- Lenovo
- Apple
- HP
- Philips
- Samsung
- Sony
- Mitsubishi
- Panasonic
- Toshiba
- Canon
- Kodak
- Acer
- Amazon
- Asus
- Target
- Funai
- Xerox
- Zenith
- VIZIO
- Hitachi
- JVC
- Best Buy
- Brother
- Coby
- Epson
- Sanyo
- Gateway
- Goldstar
- Sansui
- Sharp
- Sprint
- Staples
- TCL
- Lexmark
Final word
It is important to move towards better solutions such as computer recycling and disposal to counter the growing e-waste production. PC recycling can help reuse all the important materials and incorporate them into the production of new electronic devices or other materials as well. It is important to safely reuse and recycle old computers after you wipe a computer so that your data is safe and cannot be accessed by any third party to be misused. Hopefully, this guide has all the aspects of the global e-waste hazard and how you can encounter it. CITD UK provides the right computer equipment recycling services that will help you fight the e-waste production resulting from technological advancements without compromising on the fast-paced standard of life.
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