Australians buy and use millions of electronic products annually, and when these products reach the end of their shelf life, they become known as electronic waste. When this happens, the majority of the population chooses to throw them into landfill; however, this is not the approach that we should be taking.
Instead, we should be following the rules that we all grew up with: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Reduce
It sometimes feels like electronics develop at the speed of light. In Australia, many people embrace this. When advancements occur, they immediately get in line to purchase it. This leads to tonnes of electronic waste, as their current device is no longer seen as useful.
However, Australians have become aware of the effect on the environment (and their wallets!) that this has, and some have chosen to instead stay with their current products – reducing their environmental footprint and saving money while doing so.
Reuse
One of the biggest problems of e-waste comes from a lack of reusing. If you have upgraded, don’t throw out your old electronics. If it still works, reuse it, which can be done in a number of ways. Gift it to a friend or family member if they mention needing a new device. Perhaps you could sell it for a little extra cash. If neither of those work, maybe donate it to the local charity, who could give it to people that need electronics, or sell it to someone who’s looking for it.
Either way, no matter which approach, reuse, don’t dispose.
Repair
Repairing is a great concept that Australians should familiarise themselves further with. Instead of going to the trash, more and more are choosing to repair the items themselves.
Recycle
Statistics show that not enough Australians recycle their electronics. Instead of recycling, many choose to dump it in the local landfill, which leads to environmental problems, as well as the landfill becoming prematurely full.
At the end of the day, recycling is the way to go and we hope that Australians will become more aware and involved in it.
If you agree, and wish to recycle your electronics, there are several ways you can go about it. A popular option is to go with an e-waste company that can assist you. If you are dropping off specific electronics, such as televisions, there may be electronic-specific drop offs that you can go to. Your other option is to go straight to a recycler, but this may be difficult to coordinate if you have a lot of goods requiring recycling.
Overall, your best choice for recycling your electronics is likely to be going with a specialised e-waste company.
Contact Us
Electronic waste is a significant issue in Australia, but it can be helped with the rules of reducing, reusing and recycling.
Perth E-Waste strongly encourages recycling over landfill, and we are here to assist you with it. We have extensive knowledge and experience in the e-waste industry, and we treat recycling with the care that the environment deserves.
If you have any questions about e-waste, feel free to contact us at (08) 9314 7111 or online.