We live in a day and age where technology is more important than ever before. There are now more electronics in homes than in previous decades and that means, there is more electronic waste than ever before as well. With more electronic waste, comes a need to find out more ways to dispose of this trash safely and efficiently.
What Is E-Waste and What Should I Know?
So, what is e-waste? E-waste is a term that is used to describe electronic products that are either broken or that are at the end of their life. This can be any number of things, such as televisions, laptops, desktop computers, copiers, fax machines, phones and more. In many cases, these items do have to be disposed of in a special manner to ensure that they are disposed of safely.
In some cases, these items can be re-used, they can be recycled, and pieces and parts can be used for other items. This means that if you are disposing of e-waste, it is worthwhile to look into recycling programs that might be able to use the items or parts of them so that they stay out of the landfill.
What Do I Need to Know About E- Waste?
E-waste is one of the biggest contributors to the global waste that we produce. In the year 2019 alone, the amount of e-waste that was produced weighed as much as 350 cruise ships. If all the e-waste in the world was placed end to end, the line would be over 70 miles long. Each year, the US alone produces over 6 million tons of e-waste.
Each household uses electronics and those electronics end up being useful for a period of time. When they reach the end of their usefulness, these items become garbage that cannot simply be thrown away. These items contain batteries, components and materials that do need to be specially disposed of to help minimize their footprint and to help ensure that they are safe.
The amount of e-waste worldwide is estimated to reach about 67 million tons by the year 2030. This means that we are likely to produce more waste than ever before and push those numbers up. China is the only country that produces more electronic waste than the United States. Though we are not going to be able to go without electronics, it is possible that we can reduce the amount of these products that end up in a landfill.