What can e-waste be recycled into
TV, mobile phones, computers, batteries, kitchen appliances and printer cartridges, all are considered as e-waste. E-waste comprises of non-renewable resources such as plastic and valuable metals counting silver, gold, platinum, zinc, nickel, aluminium and copper. Recycling these materials prevents the usage of virgin non-renewable sources as well as prevent the products from ending up in a landfill.
What constitutes as e-waste?
Most people are still not aware that electronic appliances can be recycled. And this is the reason that a huge amount of electronic products ends up to landfill– but with the advancement and awareness, a small proportion of these items are now sent to the recycling centre.
Anything from computers, TVs and mobile phones to kitchen appliances can be recycled at a recycling centre. Each electronic item contains plenty of valuable materials, meaning that there are ample of uses of recycled e-waste.
What happens to e-waste at a recycling plant?
Now you are familiar with the item that you need to put in the e-waste bin, but what happens next? From the recycling hub, waste disposal companies pick up the discarded products for reprocessing where they are shredded into small pieces. After shredding, with the help of strong magnets, ferrous metals are collected and rest material is separated by using electronic currents. The plastic elements are sorted with the help of various methods such as infrared light or density separation.
Best out of waste from electronic items
For every product, we encourage reduce and reuse before recycling. E-waste collected for recycling is disassembled and classified into its components. These components such as cabling, glass, metals, circuit boards and plastics are used as raw materials in new e-waste products.
Computers and accessories are usually refurbished and made accessible for the lower-income communities. Also, individual materials such as glass, cabling, circuit boards and plastics are recovered and processed as raw materials for refurbished products.
Mobile phones are distorted into component, which is further transported for recycling processing. The plastic extracted is used in shipping pallets and lithium is used in the manufacturing of new batteries.
Electrical appliances such as alarm clocks, DVD players, cameras, radios and toasters can be repaired at reuse centres. Through recycling, many valuable materials, such as copper, glass, plastics and precious metals, are mended for further use in the manufacture of Products made from e-waste.
Printer Cartridges – the printer cartridges are tattered and the plastics extracted used as e-wood for play equipment, outdoor furniture and pens. The toner is used as a colourant to recycled road surfaces.
Batteries - Materials such as cadmium, lead, mercury, manganese, lithium, nickel and zinc are used in the manufacturing of batteries. These materials are non-renewable and can undergo recycling for infinite time, without losing their commercial value.
E-waste recycling is a serious concern for plenty of reasons. It has a potent effect on our environment, humans and life on earth. Also, offers significant economic returns to communities, individual and even nations.
From collecting and sorting to selling, there are numerous steps involved, through which you can earn direct benefit from recycling.