Dispose Your IT Gadgets in an Environmental Friendly Way

 Taking a Green Initiative for the positive future!

New technology brings in new innovations and new products with time. In this growing world, you may want to give up your old gadgets and upgrade to the latest technological gadgets.

But do you know that IT gadgets are made of deadly chemicals which include lead, mercury, beryllium, cadmium, etc.? The improper disposal of these chemicals into earth increases the chance of dangerous reactions contaminating the soil and polluting local environment of the place. This leads to the release of toxic substances into the environment which is harmful to the growth and development of our children.

Below are some of the common items that are found in household that should be disposed of in a mindful manner to reduce the emission of harmful chemicals and negative impact on our environment:

• Batteries Disposal
  
  Batteries are composed of hazardous materials that include acids and other heavy materials. The disposal of these materials directly into the environment pose serious threats if it is not done properly. Therefore, proper disposal should be carried out to minimized the risk of fire and reducing the chances of dangerous chemical leakage.
  
  
• Cellphones
  
  Cellphones are composed of various hazardous materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame retardants, and arsenic. These materials lead to serious environmental implications. In order to counter this issue, an alternative tactic of recycling and reusing could be deployed to cater to this issue. Recycling and Reusing help in saving energy and natural resources by keeping the reusable materials out of the areas of landfills.
  
  In Singapore, NEA has been working to promote this initiative by encouraging e-waste recycling through voluntary programs led by industry partners. Furthermore, Star Hub’s E-waste Management program in partnership with TES-AMM has worked positively towards the collection and processing of the E-waste from about 30 bins island-wide that included schools, residences, offices, and the community center.
  
  
• Computers, Monitors, CPUs, and Printers
  
  A computer is a large box which is the blend of a number of useful gadgets that include the power supply, disk drive, ram, monitor, keyboard, graphics card, processor, and many others. Starting from the glass of the monitor to the plastic in the case, each and every component can be recycled or refurbished.
  
  The old computers can be revitalized in vocational schools and other economically challenged rural and urban areas. It’s more earth-friendly and it acts as the fruitful utilization of the resources with underserved communities around the world. This is people friendly and no hazardous materials are exported to the landfills. This ensures the safety of the local people by creating a positive, healthy, and learning environment for our new generation.
  
  
• Household appliances
  
  Household appliances constitute a great part of the overall scrape. These include washing machines, cookers, microwaves, dishwashers, and tumble dryers. These appliances are composed of metals and plastic which when directly disposed into the environment may lead to severe environmental implications.
  
  To combat that, alternatives like recycling and reuse of these appliances could be deployed. To get started, one can find the local recycling centers nearby them that would help in enhancing the knowledge about how to separate recyclables and curbside pick-ups.

If you are living in Singapore, you will be able to identify recycling points through the NEA website so that your e-waste can be dropped off at this points. Check out the below link for the recycling points:

https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/e-waste-management/where-to-recycle-e-waste 

On top of that, you will be glad to know that NEA is conscientiously working on developing a regulated e-waste management system that will cover bulkier e-waste items such as refrigerators, washing machines and televisions. They hope to have this implemented by 2021.