Increase in Laptop Production and What it Means for E-Waste
Laptops have become an essential part of the technological landscape in just a few decades. From business to education, they serve such a diverse range of functions that are practically necessary for most people. We’re more focused on a less glamorous aspect of laptops – e-waste disposal. Laptops, and indeed most another tech these days, don’t last forever.
In fact, given the planned obsolescence that is built into every device today, they don’t even last as long as they’re supposed to. Just because they don’t last very long doesn’t mean that demand is stifled. Their direction and indeed production continues to increase each year. This creates a lot of trouble for those of us who are concerned about laptop e-waste recycling. Most individuals do not overthink about their old laptops and the risk that their incorrect disposal poses.
Today we’ll highlight some of the e-waste disposal problems that the growing production of laptops poses for organizations and why they should hire computer e-waste recycling companies to fix the issue.
The Costs of Increased Laptop Production
We understand that laptops are essential for most businesses today. We’re not saying that production should halt altogether, but rather that there needs to be proper disposal at the end of a laptop’s life cycle.
Here are some of the costs that people and businesses do not consider regarding e-waste and their laptops.
Environmental Costs
We all know that proper e-waste disposal is integral to combating environmental degradation. However, very few companies take the responsibility of disposing of old laptops correctly. Only 17.4% of e-waste was recycled and collected globally in 2019. This is a damning figure!
Growing laptop production means that the problem of e-waste will continue to increase, and the environmental impact of laptops will keep growing. Think of the various chemicals and components that can be toxic if mishandled.
A prime example of this is the laptop’s battery. We all know that batteries need to be disposed of properly or present problems for the environment and wildlife. Most businesses ignore the fact that incorrect e-waste disposal will only increase the current climate problems.
Security Risks
Given how crucial laptops are to business infrastructure, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that more laptops mean more data being stored on devices across your organization. If your company does not have a proper e-waste disposal plan in place, the chances are that this information will find its way to someone who should not have access to it.
This should be a concern for anyone, but especially for big businesses that store a lot of sensitive information on their devices. If this information gets into the wrong hands, the organization will be open to lots of liabilities that are easily avoidable.
Partnering with computer e-waste recycling companies will help deal with the critical problem. Companies like CompuCycle have excellent processes that ensure that your data is secure and that the disposal impacts the environment as little as possible.
Excessive Resource Mining
Businesses understand that many of the raw materials that go into the manufacturing process are finite. The same is true for laptops. The production of laptops requires the mining of some precious metals, without which manufacturing would be impossible.
However, responsible mining practices are essential if businesses want to continue having laptops in the future. With the constant increase in demand, the production of laptops seems to have no end in sight. This is not only harmful to the environment but bad for a lot of businesses down the road.
A lot of businesses depend on the mining of minerals and precious metals. Exhausting even one resource could mean unpredictable and unintended consequences across various industries. E-waste disposal is vital in this regard.
While ultimately production needs to be controlled, computer e-waste recycling companies dispose of your laptops properly. This process includes extracting the precious components of the laptop before discarding them.
Thanks to this process, not only is the finite resource recycled, but you also receive money from its sale. This is why you should recruit e-waste disposal services like CompuCycle. We’ll ensure that you receive maximum value for your laptops and that they’re handled responsibly.
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