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How to Recycle Your e-Waste

By Diane Pham (from Inhabitat) on October 13, 2011

The United Nations Environmental Program estimates that each year, 20-50 million tons of e-waste is dumped into landfills around the world, ranging from old phones, TVs, microwaves, computers and more - but most of the time it's not because these gadgets are defunct; they're being dumped in favor of new releases. While getting your hands on a new piece of tech can give way to countless hours of entertainment, it also brings with it a whole lot of toxic waste. Most people fail to properly dispose of their unwanted electronics, carelessly trashing them without regard to the hazardous materials they contain, including PCBs, lead and mercury. Many of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, respiratory illness, and reproductive problems, and damage the earth by seeping into the soil and ground water. What can you do to stop this dangerous cycle? Well since we're 100% sure that you'll one day soon find yourself with some unwanted electronics on hand, we've rounded up 6 sustainable tips to help you deal with electronic waste.

1. Recycle Them
Step away from the trashcan! You should never dump unwanted electronics - instead, take them to an e-waste recycler. Many local and big box electronic stores like Best Buy and Staples have in-store recycling programs and will handle your small gadgets for free, and bigger items such as a computer or TV for a small fee. You can also check e-Steward for additional resources. However, be very sure that you're turning your electronics into a responsible recycler that promises not to export to e-waste dumps, and abides by BAN guidelines. Countries like China and India handle recycled waste at a much lower cost than the US, but they also follow less strict modes of handling. Oftentimes the same tools used to melt down the reclaimed materials are being used for other things like cooking -- even by children -- essentially poisoning them through ingestion. And this is on top of the toxic fumes they are inhaling as they melt down your gadgets.

2. Donate Them

Give your old gadgets to a friend or family member, and if you can't find a taker, try donating them to a reputable reuse organization that won't export it unless it's fully functional. Some good organizations include the National Cristina Foundation or World Computer Exchange. Cell Phones for Soldiers allows you to easily donate your old handset to a member of the military. Just make sure these devices are still operable, or they could end up in the trash, defeating your efforts.

3. Sell Them

Many companies offer buyback programs for their old electronics from customers looking to upgrade. You can sell your old gadget and use the credit towards a newer version within the same mark. Craigslist, Amazon, Flipswap and Ebay are also great places to sell your goods - especially if you're looking for cold, hard cash with less restrictions. By doing this, beyond saving (or making) a wad of cash, you also keep your gadget in the loop much longer, and out of the landfill.

4. Get Crafty

Over at Inhabitat, we live and breathe green design, and we often come across inspired artists, designers and everyday folks who manage to find a new use for just about anything you can imagine. The popularity of e-waste as a prime material has certainly been on the rise and we've seen it turned into everything from an adorable circuit board robot to this spectacular CD sand dune in Paris. Explore your creative side and put your e-waste to an unexpected use. Not only could you come up with something as cool as this circuit board table for your living room, but you can induce some serious envy from your less creative friends. We do recommend that you educate yourself on how to handle these materials before you put something like a solder to them - safety first, always!

5. Buy Recycled and Recyclable Gadgets

There are a handful of companies, such as Apple and Dell, now integrating recycled or recyclable materials into their manufacturing. When you set out to buy yourself a gadget, check out what kind of materials your chosen company is using, and above all, check to see if these materials are recyclable. Another great way to go is to buy an item used through the same venues you'd use to sell your gadgets. Many sellers carefully refurbish their products to work as if they are brand-spanking new. But if you're still a little weary about their robustness, seek out a seller that has garnered good reviews from previous buyers, and refurbishes old gear with an extended warranty. This way if your gadget unexpectedly goes kaput, you're still covered just as if you bought it new.

6. Use Your Gadgets for as Long as Possible

Yes, we know that the iPhone 4S looks pretty sweet, but just because there'll be a new release in stores next week, that doesn't mean the one in your hand will spontaneously combust when it does. One of the best and most obvious ways you can reduce e-waste is to simply use your gadgets as long as possible. They may bear their fair share of scratches and chips, but realistically, they've probably got a much longer life ahead of them than you give them credit for. And by not succumbing to the sparkle of a brand new flat screen, blender, or laptop, not only are you saving precious resources and reducing excess waste in the world, you'll also save yourself a considerable amount of cash. As it stands, the average American spends a whopping $1,400 on new electronics every year!

How many electronics did you throw away this year? Let us know in the comments below.

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Inhabitat is an online magazine devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. Written by a young tech-savvy team designers and design journalists, Inhabitat delivers fresh content daily, showcasing emerging work from the cutting-edge of the global design community. Diane Pham, Architecture and Design Editor of Inhabitat, is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Like so many people out there she too thought she wanted to be an architect when she grew up. After graduating from USC's Marshall School, she enjoyed a brief stint at SCI-Arc, then working for the A+D Museum in Los Angeles, Perkins Eastman Architects and Resoultion4: Architecture handling their marketing, PR and graphic work. A native Angeleno, she's also lived in Milan and Paris, and still has her sights set beyond the borders of the US. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, learning languages, cooking, taking photographs and doing as many new things as she can, every moment she can.

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