How to Guides

What to Know About Appliance and Electronic Device Recycling

Electronics has nowadays become an essential part of our day-to-day activity. Much as we might want it to work forever, it does have a certain lifespan to expire. And when the moment comes, you realize you need to do something about it. In this article, we’re going to cover the topic of electronics and household appliance recycling, and why it is crucial for the environment.

Selling your junk appliance or electronics (if it still works) may be a good option, while you’re looking for a brand new replacement for your good old pal. A skilled technician can repair the device or simply dismantle it to make use of the component materials used in its construction. But here comes the tricky part…

Why is it Important to Recycle E-waste and Electronics?

Many electronic devices and appliances contain hazardous chemicals and other substances that can have a negative impact on the environment of our planet. To say more, many countries nowadays regulate the disposal of such devices by Law (and some of them imply even a prison sentence, not just fines). So, in one word, if you (a) care about the environment you live in, and (b) don’t want to be heavily fined by the government, consider recycling your old electronics and appliances whenever possible.

What Materials (Components) Can be Recycled?

Recyclable Items

Non-Recyclable Items

Paper: newspaper and magazines, office paper and cardboard, junk mail, juice, and milk cartons;

Glass: green, clear and brown glass bottles and jars;

Plastic: plastic bottles (no caps), food containers and other boxes;

Steel: tin and aluminum cans, empty aerosol containers, bike, and car parts, steel beams, appliances.

Plastic: bags, dishes, cups (takeaway coffee cups too);

• Syringes or other medical waste;

Dead animals;

Oils;

• Other materials: food wrappers, batteries, disposable nappies, polystyrene (foam), bubble wrap, garden waste, ceramics, ovenware, or light bulbs.

 

If you have ever taken out your garbage, you might have noticed that nowadays there are several separate trashcans intended for waste sorting. Here’s a pic for better understanding:

Waste sorting trashcans

This way, we know where each type of rubbish goes and dispose of it properly.

Disassembling Device Before Recycle

In general, disassembly of electronics and household appliances is carried out manually. This way, we can determine which particular components are reusable, recyclable, or hazardous, and act accordingly. Such parts of devices vary by their characteristics and the wear level, and that is the critical point of manual disassembly part by part.

By the part role, we remove items from the largest to smaller ones. Metal goes first, then goes plastic. The components are sorted by size, shape, and density. Such sorting will speed up the process of disassembly. Shape classification contributes to the dynamics of the metal. Classification by density is essential when it comes to determining the use of the metal.

Donating your old appliances and electronics

Among other possible options, donating your e-waste to charity may be the most humane of all. Why? First, because you get to help people in need, and it’s the most crucial point here. Second, your donated item may be professionally dismantled (depending on its condition) and properly recycled, so that you know that you did a good thing for the environment we all live in.

Another good point of this matter is to go to a licensed (better, governmental) donation and recycle facilities to make sure that your idle appliances will not be hastily sold to someone, but properly disposed of or donated to a needing person instead. That’s what makes the difference. Or else, you can simply leave this to the professional junk removal company and not have to worry about a thing.

Additionally, consider taking your old electronics and appliances to the original brand store, where you can get a discount for buying a new device while giving away a used one. There tons of such offers from the manufacturers of household appliances, which makes the replacement process cheaper and less stressful.

Proper Recycle Matters

Waste Sorting trash cans

To sum up, there are several ways to dispose of your old electronics and appliances. Either you’re donating them to charity, dismantling and taking to recycle, or exchanging them for the new ones, remember that a proper disposal matters! Anyways, there is always an option to call professional junk removal company, like WE JUNK, and rest assured that your unwanted items will be appropriately disposed of in an eco-friendly way.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *