New tech is coming out every day, so it’s easy to get excited and go out and purchase the latest cool gadget. The only problem is that this frequently results in tons of obsolete but still functional devices ending up in landfills.
With tech hardware manufacturers in a cutthroat competition to outdo each other with innovative and new technologies and features, tech waste is a problem that is only going to get worse.
Many tech products like smartphones, TVs, radios, electric kettles, and washing machines are thrown away after breaking or are deemed no longer useful.
Much of this waste ends up as industrial or commercial waste, which poses an environmental hazard that threatens livelihoods and people’s lives.
Many of these items contain hazardous materials like lithium, chromium, and lead, which could contaminate groundwater when they leak, possibly resulting in health issues for people who use that water. They could also cause habitat contamination and perhaps the extinction of species.
The Statistics on Tech Waste
- It is estimated that the average Western home possesses up to 80 electronic gadgets and old, outdated, and obsolete devices.
- The same households would spend up to $1000 every year on brand new gadgets and models.
- These households get rid of up to 55 pounds of electronic junk every year that may usually end up in the attic, garage, or landfill.
- UN University reports that the tech junk industry is up nearly 10% in just two years, one of the fastest-growing waste classes as it has surpassed and doubled the growth of plastics between 2014 and 2016.
- A growing trend of tech waste is only aggravated by a lack of focus on reusing and recycling electronic components. Research indicates that tech waste will reach a high of 52.2 million tons a year if current trends continue.
The Environmental and Economic Effect of Tech Recycling
Although the statistics paint a gloomy picture, extensive tech recycling is one of the most effective ways to reduce the adverse effects of growing amounts of electronic waste. It includes:
1. Recycling on a Large Scale Creates Jobs
The Statistics
- According to the National Institutes of Health Environmental Management System, burning 10,000 tons of waste could generate no more than one job, while landfills can generate up to six. Recycling the same amount of trash can generate 36 jobs.
- Meanwhile, the National Recycling Coalition has reported that recycling is responsible for generating $37 billion in yearly payroll, 236 in gross annual sales, and more than a million jobs.
- In California, recycling is expected to increase the number of jobs by more than 40% compared to manufacturing. More than 9000 people are employed in recycling in Massachusetts, with half of those engaged in manufacturing. This industry represents more than half a billion dollars in value-added to the state.
Manufacturing provides the opportunity for companies to get into recycling equipment, which indirectly adds jobs. Many people also work indirectly for recycling facilities by collecting, processing, and preparing discarded tech materials before presenting the materials to recyclers.
Reuse facilities and stores such as Goodwill and ReStore usually accept donations of lightly used tech gadgets and devices. They can then be reused, resold, or shipped overseas. Manufacturers who recycle components will need repairers, deprogrammers, computer refurbishers, and other industrial workers. This kind of demand will create jobs.
Additionally, large-scale tech recycling has created a new market for old gadgets, particularly in the Far East and, more recently, in Africa. For instance, computers sent to African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria may be sold at rock bottom prices, which improves access to the global marketplace while providing jobs to extractors, sellers, and importers of such devices.
2. Conserves Natural Resources, Reduces Disposal Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Tech recycling programs protect the planet from contamination, disposal costs, and lastly, they conserve natural resources. For instance, large-scale tech recycling led to a national rating system called Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating (STAR).
Through the system, it is easier for the government to track progress and set recycling goals.
Recycling means that harmful toxins found in many tech gadgets do not end up in landfills that are already wanting space.
Furthermore, recycling eliminates the need to transport waste to landfills, so there is often a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption associated with trucks that would typically be used for that purpose.
3. Extensive Scale Tech Recycling Saves Energy
Unlike the manufacture of essential components, which can involve many up-front costs and labor-intensive processes, recycling reduces energy usage because it eliminates or requires less energy to maintain raw materials.
Recycling electronic goods, such as computers, radios, refrigerators, and TVs, allows manufacturers to obtain copper, aluminum, gold, and plastics in an easier way to use.
For instance, it has been estimated that new products made from recycled materials use up to 30% less energy than those made from materials that have to be extracted anew.
According to The Renewable Energy Hub UK, if the more than 130 million smartphones dumped in a landfill were recycled, the energy savings would be enough to provide power to a small city.
4. Supports A Circular Economy
Large-scale tech recycling is an effective way of keeping materials and products in circulation at their highest value for as long as possible and at all times. It ensures that society and the final user get the most out of the labor and material that went into the product’s manufacture.
For instance, through recycling, a user could enter into a contract with a phone manufacturer to pay a lower fee. At the same time, the provider remains the owner of the device. The client would then be required to return the device when they need an upgrade.
It would save the manufacturer money as they would be able to recapture much of the value in the form of recycled components while the client would still be able to upgrade their devices without too high a cost.
5. Personal Benefits of Recycling Old Tech
Throwing away your old devices in the garbage always feels wasteful, even though you may sometimes not feel like recycling. There is usually nothing tangible you get out of it except for the feeling that you have done some good for the community.
But even though you could try giving away some of your old gadgets, it is not easy to find someone willing to take your two-decade-old TV set off your hand.
Luckily, specialist programs make it possible to ethically get rid of your old devices while putting some money in your pocket. Many companies offer trade-in programs where you can sell your old mobile for a reasonably good price. Sites like Freedom Mobiles can help you in comparing the prices that mobile recyclers provide.
Wrapping Up
Tech waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, and with landfills being filled at an increasing rate and natural resources running out, something needs to be done. Our current system of disposal, consumption, and production has become unsustainable.
By adopting large-scale tech recycling, we can recover secondary raw materials and reduce gas emissions that usually result from mining activities.
Through reusable refurbishing components, communications technology and household appliances may be affordable to all households that need them.
By cutting down on how much e-waste you produce and reusing existing components, it can positively impact the environment and the economy.