Recycling electrical waste is a problem. What can we do with it and how can it be recycled? If you’re feeling in any way unsure about the safety of an electrical appliance in your home, unplug it and dispose of it. In today’s market, a toaster can be replaced for less than ten dollars. Your coffee machine may be a little more expensive to replace, but is it worth your life?
Before you place your unwanted electrical waste in the bin, consider how you can reuse it. Are there some magical parts in an old clock that your ten year old would love to dismantle? Could you perhaps use the cage covering your discarded fan to make unique hanging baskets for your plants? Are there functional heaters or motors within the unit that could be repurposed by your handy friend?
The plastic and metal components of your disposed product can be reclaimed but only if it is disposed of in the right way. Throwing it down a garbage chute in a building or putting it in the rubbish bin will only mean that this valuable recyclable product is lost forever to landfill.
Electrical products are a gold mine of recyclable materials and if you have a lot of them, and an awful lot of time to spare, you might be able to earn yourself a little cash. You could consider sitting in front of the television for a month or so, with a pair of wire strippers in your hand, recovering the copper wire from the cords of your discarded electrical appliances. And the metal merchant would probably give you about ten dollars for all of your hard work. However, if you’re a craftsperson, that copper wire might provide you with a resource that you hadn’t previously used.
Seriously though, electrical and electronic waste should be sent to a certified recycler such as Real Waste Solutions. They have the means to recover the gold held within the electronic system of your phone, laptop or tablet or to recover other valuable mineral resources held within your failed electrical appliances. They are much better equipped to recover these valuable resources than anyone else. But before you send your beloved laptop on its final journey, consider retaining the keys for some nutty, creative friend of yours to use in a mad project or two. Being given a gift like this is a craftsperson’s dream!
