Recycling electronic waste is a critical environmental issue. With the numerous benefits e-recycling offers, addressing the issue of e-waste recycling is becoming more crucial.
The scale of the issue is extensive
According to the United Nations 2020 e-waste observation, the United States generates about 46 pounds of e-waste per person each year. Globally, 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste are generated annually, and only 17 percent of the waste is accurately accumulated, recorded, and recycled. A significant portion of the remaining 83 percent of e-waste remains in homes and businesses or isn’t properly discarded.
Even though the amount of electronic waste is less than the amount of plastic waste (about 300 million metric tons annually), waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the fastest growing waste cycle globally at three to five percent yearly growth. The primary difference between WEEE and plastic and textile is the significance of WEEE-recovered components, which is extremely valuable.
The economic opportunity is large
Electronic products are manufactured from valuable materials such as gold, silver, platinum, copper, aluminum, plastic, and glass. Each of these materials can be reclaimed when recycled, and most electronic devices are 100 percent recyclable. Reclaiming these valuable materials reduces demand for new raw materials, preserving vital natural resources. Using recycled materials also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Level of difficulty
Handling e-waste isn’t a simple task. To collect and maximize value from e-waste, each type of material must be separated for proper sorting. This process is time and labor intensive, but it can be improved as more manufacturers keep recycling in mind when designing new products.
Companies such as HOBI focus on maximizing the return value of retired IT assets and ensuring they are disposed of properly. HOBI provides repair, refurbishment, remarketing, resale, and recycling services. HOBI prioritizes waste prevention by recovering and reusing products as long as possible and recycling those that are not functional.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.