What You Need to Know About Recycling E-Waste

Each electronic device, be it a computer

monitor, a keyboard or a TV consists of
materials that can be recycled and reused for
other purposes. And yet, most people still dump
their electronic gadgets to landfills. This is
problematic, because once reached the landfill,
each device not only takes valuable space
which can be used for the storage of other,
non-recyclable, materials, but also because the
various electronics can leave hazardous
substances which can leach into the soil.
Definition
According to the Australian ureau of !tatistics electronic waste is defined as "waste
electrical and electronic equipment that is dependent on electric currents or
electromagnetic fields in order to function (including all components, subassemblies and
consumables which are part of the original equipment at the time of discarding)". #owever,
in some cases you might find people who dispute whether this definition should apply for
electronics that are destined for reuse or resale.
The Problem With E-Waste
!o what$s the big deal with electronics being dumped in a landfill% As pointed out at the
beginning, all gadgets have certain hazardous substances such as cadmium, lead and
mercury, which could be harmful if they find their way in the soil and water. &oreover,
since most of the materials could be reused or recycled they should not end up in a place
which contains mainly products that cannot be re-purposed and, thus, must be discarded.
'lus, nearly all computers and televisions have some valuable, and non-renewable
resources such as gold, brass, aluminium and copper.
The main problem, however, comes from the fact each device must be broken down to its
components in order to be fully and properly recycled. !o, considering that a TV screen,
for e(ample, has high concentration of lead, it must be dismantled in secured environment.
What Can Be Recycled
)et$s take a look at some of the components of a standard computer and see what can be
recycled*
+rom a ,-T tube monitor we can
salvage ./0 glass and 10 metals
such as screws and the likes.
The monitor case can provide us
with .20 plastic and 10 ferrous
metals.
,opper is found in the monitor
yoke and up to 3/0 of it could be
recycled, together with about 4/0
plastic and 450 metals.
And the hard drive could provide
250 aluminium as well as 4/0
steel and /0 circuit board.
+or more detailed information about what could be recycled from a computer you can visit
6ero 7aste$s website. The most important thing to remember is that ..0 of the parts
could be re-purposed, with the only e(ception being the fibre glass which can be found in
the monitor circuit board.
+inally, some facts*
8n Australia, e-waste is one of the fastest growing types of waste.
9early 4./ million computers and televisions are dumped in landfills each year.
8f 3/0 of these were recycled properly, we could save 1:,555 tonnes of ,;1 e<uivalents,
/15 mega litres of water, =55,555 giga>oules of energy and 4?5,555 cubic metres of landfill
space.
etween 15 and /5 million metric tones of electronic waste is disposed worldwide
annually.
This information was brought to you by:
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