E-Waste: The next big thing.
In 1928 the first television was invented, in 1947 the microwaves started appearing on the market, in 1973 the cell phone was created by Motorola, and IBM introduced the first personal computer in 1981.
What about now?
More than 50 million tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2020 alone! But that number is hard to grasp, let’s visualise it.
50 million tonnes of E-waste means the total weight of ALL commercial aircraft ever built. It means 4,500 Eiffel Towers. Get the picture now??
Electronic devices have changed our lives in so many ways, becoming fundamental for our daily activities, sadly, the downside is that electronic waste is growing three times faster than any other type of waste!
But what are the problems related to e-waste?
Globally up to 80% of e-waste is illegally dumped
E-waste sent to landfill leaks large quantities of toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, contaminating our soil, water systems and oceans
The amount of global e-waste is expected to grow by 8% per year
What can you do about it?
Use them as much as you can and try to extend their life: buy a case, keep it clean, take care of it…
Donate or sell the electronics that are still working
Recycle the broken ones : maybe you never thought about it, but electronic devices are full of valuable materials that can be reused like gold, silver, copper, aluminum and iron.
Just book a Power Pickup and we will take care of everything.
So.. What happens to your e-waste once recycled?
Good question!
The materials will be separated and processed into new products, such as asphalt, concrete building products, lead, new steel products and new batteries.