Be honest: how many smartphones have you gone through over the past several years? If it’s more than one, then where did your old ones end up?
Smartphones aren’t the only type of e-waste trashing up the planet. Think about all the IT assets that get tossed each year!
As we look towards 2020, it’s critical for businesses to address the e-waste problem. Not sure where to start or what the problem even is? Keep reading to get all the details.
The Issue: Tons of Trash
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard terms like global warming for years. While many know about it, few understand the real implications of climate change.
Here’s the big problem: 1.3 billion tons of waste gets generated each year. This statistic is only expected to rise. Experts say we generate more trash as we get more industrialized.
Almost half (40 percent) of this trash gets dumped in illegal or unregulated sites.
As you can imagine, this trash is starting to pollute the environment in a big way.
Why Your Business Should Care
So, society produces a lot of trash, but why should your business care? Here are a few reasons why you need to get concerned:
- Toxic chemicals from e-waste damages the atmosphere
- E-waste leaks lead into the environment
- E-waste has value
- The accumulation of e-waste is growing at an uncontrolled rate
- Your customers value sustainability
Here’s another statistic your business needs to know about. In 2016, e-waste contained very valuable deposits of:
- Gold
- Silver
- Palladium
- Platinum
- Copper
It’s estimated that this ‘trash’ had a value exceeding $55 billion. That figure is bigger than the gross domestic product of most countries around the globe.
It makes sense for your business to use these valuable resources. Why throw all that value into a landfill?
How to Dispose of IT Assets the Right Way
Considering these facts likely has you wondering how you can remedy the situation. What can you and your business do to reduce e-waste? How should you be disposing of IT assets?
There are plenty of opportunities for growth. Here are a few strategies to consider implementing:
- Always invest in maintaining electronics
- Keep all software programs up-to-date
- Don’t upgrade devices if you don’t need to
- Re-sell old devices or pieces of broken electronics
- Start an e-waste recycling program
E-waste recycling is a process that happens before disposal. Recycling saves the environment and recovers valuable materials from e-waste.
First, your e-waste will get collected. It’ll get transported to a facility where it’s all sorted. Valuable materials like copper and aluminum get collected. Then, the materials get prepared for resale.
The Future of Planet Earth
Going green is good for business. Not only are you improving the planet but you’ll also be impressing your customers. Recycling is something you must consider looking toward the future.
To learn more about disposing IT assets, contact Lampmaster today!