Environmental Advantages of E-Cycling
We live in a world where no one understands the importance of technology as we depend heavily on a variety of electronic equipment to get us through the day. Unwinding after a long day’s work by watching TV, browsing through social media on our phones, or using our laptops at work to achieve the simplest tasks are just a few illustrations of this dependency.
You can breathe a sigh of relief, though, because we’re not here to judge you or argue over the merits and demerits of this dependency. What we’re here to talk about today is something that modern culture largely ignores – trash!
No one wants to think about trash, to be honest, except every night for two seconds when it’s time to put it out. Yet, it owes its existence to our activities on this planet and should not be ignored. Our duty as citizens of the earth is to think about the garbage that we pollute it with.
Our focus today will be on a particular kind of trash, electronic waste! Specifically, we will look at four ways in which e-cycle recycling can benefit the environment.
Ways E-cycle Benefits the Environment
E-waste recycling offers several environmental advantages; let’s take a look at a few of them. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll realize just how important it is to e-cycle electronics and be on your way to being a more responsible resident of planet Earth.
Conserves Non-Renewable Resources
We all remember learning about renewable and non-renewable resources as children but never thought to practice.
The planet still only has a finite amount of resources to provide us with, and we must make the best use of these as possible. A standard piece of electronic equipment, let’s say a smartphone in this case, will use several resources that are in limited supply.
It isn’t the fact that they’re not infinite that’s bothersome; to be honest, it’s that they can be reused, but as if by sheer arrogance, we try very hard not to. Things such as aluminum, steel, gold, palladium, tin, and copper are used frequently in circuit boards.
When you e-cycle electronics, you reduce the need to mine for those materials ever so slightly. If we adopted this lifestyle, the need would fall drastically, and the environment will benefit greatly.
Prevents Environmental Damage
The fact of the matter is that we’re not children. We understand that many of the components that make up our electronics can be potentially toxic. We don’t think about it because they aren’t toxic to us directly while they’re in use.
This again shows a lack of foresight. When we throw away old electronics, we’re essentially signing off on them being dumped in a landfill. That’s where the real trouble begins. Even something as small as a battery contains elements that can be fatal if not disposed of properly.
These elements can seep into nearby water bodies or the land and cause irreparable damage. In water bodies, they can wreak havoc on marine life, and in the land, it can lead to severe land degradation. This assumes that the dumps are following all the protocols; the matter can worsen if dumps don’t follow regulations, which may directly impact the people living nearby. Tech recycling should hence, be taken very seriously.
Reduces Dependency on Landfills
The entire concept of landfills is lazy and poorly thought out, to be fair, and the less we depend on them, the better. Landfills are an eyesore, they only serve to cause environmental damage, and once you establish them, the area can never be good for anything ever again.
Approximately 146 million tons of waste were thrown into landfills in the United States in 2018. That’s an astonishing figure. If we even ignore the environmental impact of the whole affair, it still makes no sense to waste that much space on our garbage.
When you e-cycle electronics, the need to use landfills is reduced. Once again, individual actions won’t make a huge difference, but if everyone were to adopt the idea, we would see our dependency on landfills go down considerably.
This act will naturally eliminate all the negatives associated with landfills.
It’s Good Business – Plain and Simple
This point is more for corporations than it is for individuals. We felt the need to focus on businesses because they generally create more e-waste than the average consumer. The reason businesses should consider e-waste recycling is that it helps the bottom line.
Think of it this way – business is an infinite game, and the resources needed to produce your product are in limited supply. This means that at some point in the future, the demand will increase the cost of the material.
When you e-cycle electronics, you can reuse some of the materials that go into your products. This means that you can avail of significant cost savings. Several state and federal programs promote this activity and incentivize it by offering tax benefits. So it makes sense all around to adopt this strategy.
Final Word
These were the benefits of e-cycle recycling for the environment. If you’re a corporation and want electronics recycling, reach out to us. We will not only dispose of the item properly but also ensure that none of your precious data gets into the wrong hands.
