Reuse your old tech for the better and save environment

With the advancement in technology, e-waste is becoming a major problem for the environment. Your old phones, tablets, and gadgets contain such harmful material that can be disastrous for nature.

Once they end up in the landfill, it’s almost impossible to recover them and get them in use. Also, they have such materials that are already in shortage, and wasting them causes more shrinkage of such material. Rechargeable batteries contain such harmful chemicals that once they are exposed to the environment, they are not only lethal for nature but equally harmful for human health.

The gadgets that contain non-removable batteries could start a fire when they are crushed in a compactor. About 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste are generated by the world containing laptops, computers, tablets, phones, gadgets, electric toothbrushes, and much more.

According to the Global E-waste Statistics, less than a quarter of those castoff products could be recycled and the rest ended up in the trash or can be exported to the countries as second-hand or e-waste and they can do whatever they want to do.

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The European Union (EU) is planning to pass legislation to control the e-waste. They have formed committees to come up with a solid solution to this problem. But in this article, we will discuss how you can use old phones, tablets, and unused gadgets to reduce e-waste. We will be discussing briefly the steps each individual can take and can take part in his ow to solve this problem.

Reuse

Sometimes, some of us get tired of using the same phone and eventually change the model after a certain period of time. That old phone which is now abandoned by you and is in your drawer can be useful for other purposes. You can use it as a smart alarm clock and if it supports voiceover commands like google assistant or Siri, then it can be your best alarm clock. All you have to do is to give instructions on voiceover and your alarm setup.

Another usage of an older phone is that you can use them as a security camera. There are apps like Alfred that can be used for this purpose. You have to install the app and place the phone where you can easily check from the web or phone remotely. You can also use your phone as a smart tv remote. Some apps can support this feature. Your old phone can be your media streaming device as well.

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Then comes the old tablets that are no longer in use. Well for the old tablet, you can schedule your meetings on it as many of them has a front camera. Install zoom or other apps and make them in use.

If you have so many movies on your external hard drives, there’s a way you can stream them on your smart tv. All you have to do is to put them on your computer and install the media server app plex. After this setup, install the corresponding app on your smart tv and now you can easily stream them anytime you want.

Also, you can donate your old computer, phones, and tablets to the organizations that are specially made for this purpose. They further donate to the schools or the needy people.

Recycle

When your gadget’s battery fets drained quickly, or they run too slow, it means they passed the point of being useful again. At this point, you have to consider recycling it. But remember, not every tech product can be recycled, like your old cameras, flip phones, mp3 players, and many more. They straight away go to the trash. But some organizations have come up with a solution to this problem.

The local programs are starting at the state level where they offer guidance to the residents where they can dispose of their tech waste for recycling. Some stores buy these old tech gadgets and they are further sold to the companies that recycle these wastes. Companies like Apple and Dell accept their products in exchange for new products.

Batteries

Now that’s where the tricky part comes in. Almost every tech depends upon the battery, and you can’t easily get rid of the batteries.

Rechargeable batteries can be recycled and make it in use. So, they shouldn’t go in the trash, instead, they should always go to the facility where they can be handled properly. Some organizations take old batteries of all kinds. They have their helpline where anyone can reach and give them instead of throwing them in the trash. Batteries contain harmful material that can be disastrous for the environment and human health as well.

Also, the European Union is planning to pass the bill that makes all the companies sell the chargers separately and make all the devices compatible for USB-C type. So, all these steps are taken to slow down the growth of e-waste.

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