A very alarming and expanding stream of waste in the world is computer equipment and electronic rubbish. The low prices of these products make them very attractive for consumers to replace their gadgets often. And in the modern world, there is a rapid technological change which means that there will always be newer, better and many powerful products available in the market. The result can be burgeoning computer Waste Mountain and in the USA alone, there is approximately 20 million obsolete personal computers which are discarded annually. For this reason, computer recycling in Mississauga emerged and other movements to help free the environment with these toxic rubbish.
The Importance of Recycling Computer Equipments
Computer waste is also referred to as e-waste or electronic waste. It does not only pertain to computer waste but also to printers, circuit boards, hard drives and other technological equipments. These items should on no account be thrown with your household rubbish since these equipments contain toxic substances and are known to be very hazardous to human beings and other living things. E-waste often ends up in third world or developing countries and the United Nation’s Environment Program is already alarmed by the huge amount of electronic goods which are improperly disposed to these developing nations. There is also an increasing concern with regards to pollution which is caused by hazardous chemicals as well as heavy metals in Asia, Africa and South America.
What is inside your personal computer? It is made up of 23 percent plastic, 32 percent ferrous metals, 18 percent non-ferrous metals, 12 percent electronic boards and 15 percent glass.
New Legislation
With the alarming statistics with regards to electronic waste, new legislation came about in 2007 in order to cover waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The regulation have a lot of implications for those who recover or treat WEEE and stipulate that users should store, collect, recycle, treat and dispose of WEEE separately from the other waste. It is now a requirement that you should obtain as well keep proof that your WEEE was given to a company that manages these kinds of wastes and are treated or disposed off accordingly in an environmental friendly way.
Options for Disposal
You can actually dispose the computer waste by simply returning these products to the manufacturer of the items, taking the item to professional waste disposal facility and in donating the goods to non-profit organization.
Manufacturer Disposal
There is an increasing number of manufacturers of electronic goods that incorporate electronic waste management to their various environmental policies and they operate consumer computer recycling Mississauga initiatives. For example, Dell cover the cost of picking up their products from consumer homes and shipping these to computer recycling Mississauga centers and are also in the habit of recycling obsolete equipments. The goods are then de-manufactured and are sorted according to the type of material. Materials such as aluminum and steel are recycled in order to make new products, from plastic toys to car parts. Meanwhile, the non-reusable substances are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.