Some ways you can reduce your e-waste

We live in a gadget-crazy world and, year after year, we generate tons and tons of e-waste. And Christmas seems to add to this mounting problem. “Unnecessary purchases due to the reinforced desire for more modern hi-tech gadgets, coupled with heightened consumerism due to the proliferation of holiday promos, add to the potential e-waste generation,” says Primo Morillo, advocacy officer of the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a toxin/waste watchdog, and the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), a social transformation network, point out that aside from the toxicity issue, “people must also be aware that producing electrical and electronic equipment requires massive and destructive mining.” To make cellphones, laptops, tablets, TV sets and other e-products, you literally have to move mountains, or “flatten them and destroy islands, to obtain the metals and other minerals necessary for the production of these electronics.”

E-wastes contain highly hazardous materials — halogenated compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs in condensers and transformers, flame retardants (TBBA, PBB, and PBDE), chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, and polyvinyl chloride or PVC; heavy metals and other metals (such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium VI, among others); toner dusts from printers and copiers; and even radioactive substances like Americium, which is present in smoke and fire detectors, for example.

As we sort out our assorted garbage to prepare for yet another new year and dust off yesterday’s cobwebs from our lives, the EcoWaste Coalition and PMPI list the following down-to-earth tips for consumers to consider to cut down on the generation of e-waste:

• Extend the life of your existing electronics instead of buying new ones. Consider whether you truly need to get new ones before rushing to buy the latest gizmos.  (Watch the “Story of Electronics” video at http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-electronics/, which tells where our gadgets come from, and how the things we buy impact our planet.)

• Have broken electronics repaired.

• Have outdated components of an electronic product refurbished or upgraded instead of buying an entirely new replacement.

•  Never dispose of unwanted but still usable electronics.  Instead, turn them over to relatives and friends for reuse or donate to charities and schools. What might be of no use to you might come in handy for some people.

• Collect spent household batteries (of which you probably have a huge collection), cellphone batteries, fluorescent lamps, empty ink cartridges and the like; label and safely store them in a container with cover. Keep these out of reach of children and pets.  These should be safely managed or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner and not mixed with regular waste.

• Visit the manufacturer’s website or call the dealer to find out if they have a take-back program or scheme for your discarded electronics.

• Turn trash into cash, earn from your e-scrap.  List it on online auction websites or consider appropriate recycling options.  Contact the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) for advice on environmentally safe recycling options.

• If you really need to spend for new electronics, choose items with less hazardous substances, with greater recycled content, with higher energy efficiency, with longer life span, and those that will produce less waste.

1. Browse through Greenpeace International’s Guide to Greener Electronics ranking top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs, and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling, and climate change.  Search the Internet for other green purchasing tools.

2. Look for products that have the RoHS logo, an indicator that a product complies with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances, which restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment.  These restricted chemicals are cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated biphenyl ethers.

3. Look for the product with the specifications that you need and one that can be easily upgraded with the rapid technological advancements.

4. Look for the Energy Star label, indicating that the product is energy-efficient, conserving electricity use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked with energy production and use.

5. If battery-operated, look for rechargeable instead of disposable batteries.

6. Go for products with good warranty and take-back policies.

7. Avoid buying imported, used, or surplus electronics as they are certainly discarded for being near obsolete by the country of source and they don’t have warranties.

•  Take good care of your electronic device, whether it’s brand-new, refurbished or hand-me-down, as sound maintenance will prolong its lifespan.  Read the instruction manual carefully and get acquainted with an easy fix-it-yourself guide.

• Make it a point to have your e-scrap properly recycled by authorized recyclers so that they don’t end up as e-waste to be thrown away or burned.

Remember to always keep and treasure this mantra: Recycle, recycle, recycle!