What Are the Key Benefits of E-Waste Recycling?
Posted on: 19 January 2018
Electronic products such as fridges, microwaves, air conditioners, toasters, mobile phones, smart phones, computers, radios, digital cameras, DVD players and MP3 players make life a lot easier and more enjoyable. As electronic products become cheaper due to the economies of mass-production, more Australians can now afford to buy electronics.
The detrimental side of this current trend is that old, inoperative or obsolete electronics cannot be disposed of the same way as general and green waste because electronic waste, also known as e-waste, typically contains significant amounts of toxic elements like mercury, lead, asbestos and brominated flame retardants, which are a major human and environmental health hazard when dumped in landfills or leaked into the environment.
Fortunately, e-waste recycling has been developed. These speciality waste recyclers load e-waste onto their collection trucks and then transport the waste to a local recycling plant. Now that you know what e-waste is and that it can be recycled, continue reading on below to find out why it is beneficial to human and environmental health.
Recovery of valuable materials.
E-waste mainly comprises metal and plastic parts, most of which still have reuse value by the time they are being disposed of. E-waste recyclers take apart electronic waste with the intention of salvaging and separating metal, plastic and any other valuable materials that can be used as raw materials for manufacturing new, useful products. This, in turn, minimises the need to extract virgin materials from the environment to meet the increased demand for manufactured products.
The use of recycled materials leads to energy-savings and more cost-effective manufacturing of new products. The recovery and subsequent reuse of recycled materials reduces the amount of solid waste that ends up being deposited at landfills.
Proper disposal of hazardous chemicals.
Some electronics like air conditioners and refrigerators contain toxic chemicals that are detrimental to human and environmental health when not disposed of properly. E-waste recyclers know what fluids within each type of e-waste are bad for people and the environment. Therefore, they will take absolute care to ensure the harmful substances are safely removed and disposed of.
Now that you know why e-waste recycling is essential, you should consider recycling all your electronic waste. This can be done by people at home and at work. Everyone has a role to play when it comes to protecting the environment, so play your part by letting a certified e-waste recycler handle your electronic waste.
Share