The desire to upgrade our tech the moment a new model or feature is released is overwhelming for many of us. Whether it’s individuals ditching their mobile phone for the latest release or businesses seeking to have the newest models of computers and devices, it’s a problem that causes huge amounts of waste every year.
More often than not, when we gain a new device, we simply throw away the old one without much thought of where it winds up. But this practice has a significant impact on the planet and even on human health. Here are five facts about IT waste you may not have been aware of.
E-waste accounts for up to 155,000 tonnes of waste
In the UK alone, households throw away up to 155,000 tonnes of domestic electrical waste each year, with as much as 190,000 tonnes hoarded in our homes from old electrical devices. When we factor in commercial and industrial waste, a further 145,000 tonnes of waste is thrown away. Across the whole of Britain, we throw away a million tonnes of e-waste, enough to fill Wembley Stadium over six times.
Recycling electrical waste saves energy
Most people assume that recycling uses up energy and requires huge amounts of time to produce tangible results, but when recycling is carried out properly, it can actually save energy. In fact, if one million laptops were recycled rather than being thrown into landfills, it would save enough energy to power over 3,600 homes for an entire year.
Recycling reduces the waste of raw materials
Many of the components in electronics are made using a variety of raw materials, such as gold and silver, copper and similar minerals. These are used to create the inner workings of devices such as mobiles, laptops and computer monitors. For this reason, it’s estimated that the average landfill has millions of pounds worth of valuable materials within it. Recycling e-waste can help to drastically reduce the need to continually mine for new materials for new devices, enabling companies to reuse these components which is one of many benefits to e-waste recycling.
We keep our phones for less than 2 years
It’s no wonder why new devices are so appealing to customers, with the array of new features available to us and the demand to keep up with our peers. But because technology develops so quickly, most of us have our mobile phones for just 18 months before we upgrade to a newer version. This naturally increases e-waste unnecessarily.
E-waste produces 70% of overall toxic waste
It’s not just our environment we need to consider when throwing away electrical devices. The e-waste produced equals 70% of all toxic waste in our landfills, and studies suggest that the amount of lead in these electronics can lead to damage to our nervous systems, blood and kidneys, as it leeches into waterways and soils.
E-waste is a problem for our health and our planet, but there are ways to combat it. By recycling your electronic devices properly and safely, you can prevent these devices winding up in landfills and causing damage to the environment. Get in touch with our team to discuss the recycling and e-waste services we provide.