Time for some simple recycling, decluttering and cleaning up – all at the same time!
Electronic waste affects every room of the home and makes up a huge amount of waste in landfill every year. This is due to over consumption, updated versions and upgrades becoming available in short amounts of time. E waste can be really harmful in landfill because of the exposure of metals such as lead and mercury, seeping into soil and affecting waterways. But this doesn’t have to be the case- In fact, 98% of the materials in your computer or tv can be recycled – copper, rubber, silver and even gold! And with numerous organisations offering E Waste recycling ‘drop off points’, there is no excuse not to! Other than the recycling paert, a crucial part of this process is looking at the frequency of which we replace our electronic goods and opting to repair before we discard.
You will notice a positive impact on your environmental footprint, as well as an economic one!
Action steps:
1. Collect all E Waste in a dedicated spot in your home (a box in the garage or laundry for example)
– This can be anything electronic related – batteries, lightbulbs, headphones, CDs, TVs, computers, laptops, chargers, mobile phones, remote controls, electronic appliances and more!
2. Make a commitment to find a new home or recycling option for your electronic item before upgrading/buying new (see below). This could be selling it on an online marketplace if it stills works or looking to repair if its broken
3. Check your council website for local E waste drop off points (e.g. Neighbourhood centres often collect smaller items like batteries and lightbulbs) or for the larger (often quarterly) E waste drop off days most councils facilitate.
– Electronics recycling
– Mobile phone recycling
– All E Waste recycling
