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Electronic gadgets changed our lives through rapid technology and life without them in professional and personal aspects cannot be imagined. Thereafter, With an ongoing pandemic, everything went online and now even a student’s comprises of these gadgets. Electronics such as mobile phones, earphones, chargers, laptops to literally every single appliance in our kitchen and home contributes to our lives majorly. There are now more mobile phones than the number of people around the world. Added to that, our tendency to just throw away our electronics and replace them with new ones, continually, purchasing more even when we don’t require them. Hence Reduce e-waste.
This creates an e-waste problem. E-waste is electronic products that are of no use anymore, they are unwanted, not working, or at the end of their life. Not only are we creating unnecessary waste but we are also polluting the environment and causing environmental hazards because of the improper disposal of e-waste.
But What is E-waste pollution?
E-waste heavily affects the environment – The burning of wires in the gadgets relates to hydrocarbons in the environment causing air pollution. Electronic devices contain toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, and lithium when disposed of improperly causing water pollution and it heavily affected communities that directly depend on water from their local lakes and ponds, so when these heavy metals enter the food chain and seep into the soil which not only destroys the plants but also when consumed by other living beings it leads to a poisonous loop in the food chain.
The only way that we can really help with e-waste pollution is by reducing it and sticking to them for the better of the environment. Here are some ways to help you reduce your e-waste and its hazards :-
-Giveaway old electronics
One of the best and easiest methods of reducing e-waste is to give them away. It not only gives your gadget a new life but also helps someone in need plus you also declutter your living space. You feel good about yourself and you’re also saving the environment. Now an easy way to give away your electronics is via POOLit, you can list your items on POOLit free of cost and have direct contact with the person receiving your product.
-Maintain your electronics
What if you were told that you could save money and save the environment just by taking care of your electronics? Well, by keeping your electronics well maintained you increase its life so why not start doing that. Clean your electronics, keep them well serviced, make sure your PC’s hard drive is never completely full, and use a phone case and screen protector at all times for your phones so it doesn’t break in case you drop it. Learn to repair your electronics instead of buying new ones every time your electronics stop working.
-Recycle and dispose of e-waste properly
Improperly disposed e-waste is becoming a major problem. We’re always ‘upgrading’ our electronics which instead does nothing but pollutes the environment when not disposed of properly. Many companies have given options to customers to recycle their old electronics and sometimes you might even get financial compensation as a plus! Recycling old electronics allows the electronic parts to be reused which reduces the amount of e-waste and reduces the need for manufacturing new parts. Reducing the need to exhaust more resources and repurpose the ones we are using right now.
-Think before buying
In this race of having the most ‘trending,’ electronics ask yourself if you really need them. Think twice before buying a new device and ask yourself if it is more of a need or a want and will it add any value to your life. If you answer these questions, you might not buy that new device. And what better way to reduce your e-waste by just simply not buying what you don’t require.
