e-Waste Recycling
The UK is one of the world’s biggest producers of e-waste, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). However, the UK only recycles approximately 30% of its e-waste so there are concerns about how WEEE is disposed of at end-of-life. As the e-waste industry runs with a relatively low recycling rate, this can negatively impact the natural environment.
We will collect and recycle the e-waste below:
- Computers
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Hard Drives
- Printers
- Monitors
- Servers
- Mobile Phones
- UPS Systems
- Networking IT Hardware
- And most other items IT related – please check with us first before booking if you are not sure we’ll collect it…
What is e-Waste and How to Manage it?
e-Waste, also known as electronic waste, refers to broken or discarded electronic devices like computers, smartphones and other household appliances. With the advancements in technology, e-waste is becoming an increasingly significant problem.
e-Waste’s Impact on the Environment
e-Waste is a major source of environmental pollution. Old electronic products contain hazardous materials that can leach into the soil and water if not disposed of properly. This can lead to serious health risks for both people and wildlife. Additionally, e-waste contains valuable raw materials like copper, gold, silver, and precious metals that could be recycled rather than thrown away. When these materials are landfilled, they’re wasted instead of reused or recovered. Businesses and individuals should make sure they’re disposing of their e-waste responsibly by recycling as much material as possible.
e-Waste and Climate Change
e-Waste has a direct impact on climate change too. When electronics are not disposed of properly, they may end up in landfills where their hazardous materials can leach into the soil and water. This contributes to soil, air and pollution and other forms of environmental damage that contribute to global warming.
There are several environmental issues that come from not recycling your e-waste:
- Toxic chemicals and soil contamination – leaking (leaching from landfill) harmful chemicals like lead, mercury, and cadmium into the soil contaminates the ground and surface water.
- Air pollution – releasing toxic fumes into the air (leaching from acid baths and burning) to recover valuable metals discharges fumes into the environment that contain substances like dioxins and furans, that are hazardous to human health.
- Water pollution: leaking (leached) materials from e-waste have the potential to contaminate local drinking water sources and create health risks for people or wildlife who encounter it.
Recycling e-waste helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing the need for new materials to be produced from scratch. By recycling old electronics instead of throwing them away, we’re helping to create a circular economy where resources are reused repeatedly instead of being lost forever.
The Increasing Importance of e-Waste Recycling
Let’s look at some reasons why e-waste recycling is becoming more relevant than ever before:
- It Helps Conserve Natural Resources – Electronic devices are often made from valuable materials like gold, silver, and copper, which are finite resources. By recycling e-waste, these materials can be recovered and reused in the production of new devices. This not only helps to conserve our natural resources but also reduces the need to extract new materials, thereby reducing the environmental impact.
- It Helps Prevent Pollution – Electronic devices contain toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, which can cause harm to the environment and human health if not properly disposed of. When electronic waste is sent to a landfill, these toxic substances can leach into the soil and groundwater, contaminating our environment. However, when e-waste is recycled, these toxic substances are safely removed and disposed of, helping to protect our planet.
- It Helps Create Jobs and Stimulates the Economy – The process of recycling e-waste requires specialised skills and equipment, creating jobs in the recycling industry. This creates employment opportunities and helps stimulate economic growth by creating new industries and businesses.
- There is More e-waste Being Produced Than Ever – With the rapid advancements in technology and the increasing number of electronic devices being used, the amount of e-waste being generated is growing at an alarming rate. This means that if we don’t take action to recycle e-waste, the environmental and health impacts will only become worse over time.
How to Properly Dispose of e-Waste
e-Waste contains harmful materials for the environment and human health. These materials include heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury, and toxic chemicals like brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). When we discard electronics in landfills, these toxic materials can leach into the soil and groundwater, contaminating the environment and potentially harming local ecosystems and communities. Not to mention, burning hazardous waste in landfills releases toxic fumes into the air, which can contribute to air pollution and cause people to have respiratory health problems. This is why it’s so important to properly dispose of electronics through e-waste recycling businesses to reduce the harm to the environment and human health. The companies can safely extract and dispose of toxic metals and recycle precious materials from the electronics for reuse.
Know About Battery Disposal
It is essential to know the regulations when it comes to disposing of any type of batteries and solid waste, including mobile phone and laptop batteries. Throwing a battery away in the general waste bin is illegal. Individuals and businesses should always take batteries to a proper disposal centre, return them to the manufacturer or request an e-waste business like ours to collect them for appropriate disposal. Improper disposal of batteries can have devastating environmental consequences, so make sure that you are following all laws regarding battery disposal. Batteries contain toxic materials such as lead and mercury, so it’s important to handle them properly.
E-Waste Recycling with iTech-Co
At iTech-Co, we offer sustainable e-waste recycling services on a one-time or recurring basis. We can offer tailor-made programs to fit our customers’ needs, large and small. The process is simple: you schedule an e-waste pickup at https://it-co.org, an operator comes by to pick up your e-waste, and we haul it away to a recycling facility where we sort, repair & reuse the equipment where possible or permanently dispose of the equipment by recycling it for its raw materials, then we divert the e-waste products to our partnered businesses. iTech-Co works with businesses of all sizes to help them achieve their sustainability goals. Whether you are a business owner, a non-profit organization, or a consumer, iTech-Co can help you take control of your e-waste management and safely dispose of your electronics.
