Electro-waste – what to do with it?

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Not everything can be treated as waste electronic equipment

The brutal truth is that people all over the world throw away too many good items. The most common reason for this phenomenon is the desire for the latest technological innovations, which motivates the purchase of more new generation devices. This can be be it smartphones, smartwatches, laptops or any other consumer electronics.

Electronics in a trash

However, in most cases it is difficult to find any justification in this situation – usually the new generation is only a few percent more efficient, which in practice is almost imperceptible.

The manufacturers themselves are not blameless either – in their marketing materials, the previous generation is treated as outdated and used up electronic equipment, which is a common manipulation.

As a result, equipment that should not be treated as electronic waste, because it is technically fully functional, is literally piling up in local landfills and local separate collection points.

However, if you want the latest technology or simply need it for your business, it is important to take a responsible approach to disposing of old equipment.

Before you throw it away, see if anyone can use it

In fact, it is difficult to say with certainty what electronic waste is. For some people, it is outdated equipment, while for others, it is critically damaged equipment. However, this does not mean that the electronics in question must necessarily be treated as waste.

In the hands of a skilled DIY enthusiast, even used electronic equipment can be extremely useful. This is due to the fact that in the case of critically damaged devices it is still possible to obtain many valuable components.

For example, repairing a laptop with a broken LCD matrix may be simply uneconomical, which does not change the fact that virtually all of its components are still fully functional. RAM, HDD or SSD, and even individual components of the motherboard – all of this can be recovered and used in other computers.

Pile of computer parts

The same is true for smartphones, where a broken screen is also one of the most common reasons why owners decide to recycle. However, such used electronic equipment, when taken apart, can be used to service other devices, so why throw it away?

Where to dispose electro-waste?

Old electronics on the shelve

It is worth to ask in the stationary electronic stores if it is possible to dispose old electronic waste out there.

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You can also go for a slightly more proactive way of where to dispose of your electro-waste, which is to list it on local announcement portals. Most of them even have special categories for used electronic equipment, which are browsed by thousands of people from all over the country every day.

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Interestingly, used electronic equipment can also allow you to earn a little money. In the case of the aforementioned laptops or smartphones, all you have to do is list them as broken on a well-known auction site and let the interested party buy them.

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Of course, the sums involved will not be huge, but you can be sure that the used electronic equipment will still be able to serve someone who really needs it for many years.

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Picture of Maciej Figiel

Maciej Figiel

Versatile, he is eager to take on challenges because he thinks it is the fastest way to progress. He values contact with nature and an active rest. Automotive and new technologies enthusiast.

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