These days, if you do not have a 4K HD Smart TV, you are not enjoying the full effects of playing your games or watching your films. Imagine an attack of striking colours and crisp sound from a television which comes equipped with smart assistance.
Of course, buying this new standard means you will have to throw away your old flat screen TV. Some of us think that just leaving its disposal to the garbage man is enough, but we need to think about where that old television is going after its service in our homes.
The cost of throwing away your electronic devices
When you have thrown it out, your television becomes electronic waste. That and together with all the broken down phones, laptops, and tablets fill up dumpsites. When an electronic device breaks down, it releases chemicals that can be harmful to the soil, water, and air.
In the recent years, there has been an increase in electronic waste because all our devices suddenly get upgraded every year. Gone were the days when you could stick to one television or phone for many years. And this is brought not just because of the need to have the updated version of a device nor is it because a newer model is more convenient. It is the electronic companies themselves that have put pressure on the public to discard their devices.
Apart from the harmful chemicals, electronic waste also affects the environment in ways that we may never reverse. The raw materials included in making your television and phones are precious metals which are already limited in supply. If we keep mining for them there may not be enough left for us to use on other more important things like medical apparatuses and space rockets.
The benefits of electronic waste recycling
To curb these ecological effects, electronic waste recycling was proposed by environmentalists looking to find a way to repurpose old tech.
This is more than just DIY projects converting television into an aquarium. Electronic waste recycling requires extraction of the materials used to create your gadget and then reusing them for new models or for an entirely different device.
The United Nations Environmental Programme has reported that every year we create about 50 million tonnes of electronic waste, which are dumped mostly in Asian countries like India and China where there are recycling firms. However, with the amount we are throwing out, these firms and factories are not enough.
All countries must understand that there are benefits to electronic waste recycling, which include:
- Conserving natural resources
- Create new jobs
- Reduce chemical contamination
- Minimise mining and deforestation
- Reduce product cost
Promoting electronic waste recycling
While consumers have culpability, it is not entirely their responsibility to address electronic waste. The initiatives must come from manufacturers themselves. As buyers, we can help environmentalists propose buy-back programs to companies.
They can purchase our old tech off of us, and they can extract the materials so that they can reuse them for newer models. By doing so, manufacturers can cut down on production cost and consumers can enjoy a more affordable gadget.
We can also look for companies that will purchase our old appliances from us. They know how to handle these properly and where to send them for recycling. Indeed, it seems that the efforts will have to start from us so that big electronic companies can be encouraged to do the same.
Article Submitted By Community Writer