9 Ways to Produce Less Electronic Waste

Electronic waste (also known as tech waste and e-waste) has become one of the fastest growing waste sources in the world. Keyboards, monitors, laptops, cell phones and iPods are piling up in the world’s landfills at unprecedented rates.

Think about it – you get a new cell phone every two years (more often if you can’t resist shiny, new products), your computer is obsolete after a few years, and there’s always a better system on the market than the one you’ve got. It’s lighter, thinner, faster, etc. When you purchase this wonderful new product, the old one gets thrown out. All of that waste is making a mess of the planet (not to mention using a lot of coal-powered electricity and other natural resources along the way).

Erik Rhey over at Everyday Ecotech wrote a great post detailing five easy ways to be more eco-tech savvy and I think they’re worth sharing here. I also have a few additional things to add to the list.

1. Cut back on printing. When printing from the internet especially, it’s common to print off unnecessary pages – you might only need page 1 and end up printing several additional pages full of web ads. That’s a huge waste of resources.

2. Be satisfied with what you’ve already got. Don’t buy a new portable electronic device every time something new comes on the market. Ask yourself if you really need a new iPod or cell phone already. Is this the stuff of life?

3. Be selective when it comes to gadgets for the kids. We’ve blogged about this before, but it’s always a good topic to revisit. Battery-powered plastic toys last no more than a year usually and then end up in the landfill. Teach your children while they’re young that consuming mass amounts of cheap plastic trash leads to mass amounts of cheap plastic trash.

4. Turn your computer off at night (or any time you’re not using it). There’s no reason to be wasting all that electricity just to save a few minutes of start-up time in the morning.

5. Donate used electronics instead of recycling them. Many less fortunate people would be ecstatic to have your two year-old cell phone, computer, or television. Check with your local Salvation Army or other re-sale programs. There’s no need to recycle something that’s in working condition. (Of course, recycling is better than throwing it away, but donating for reuse is the best.)

6. Only turn the printer, copier, fax machine and other seldom-used office electronics on when you need them. Why waste the power used to keep them running when they’re not being used.

7. If at all possible, upgrade your electronics instead of purchasing brand new ones. This is the most sustainable thing to do.

8. When you need to make a big-ticket purchase like a computer, printer, etc (or even outdoor gear), spend a little more money for a brand-name quality item that will last. When you go the cheap route, you usually get what you paid for, and will need to replace that item far sooner than if you’d spent a little more on a longer-lasting item. That means more junk in the landfill.

9. Unplug, unplug, unplug. If you’re computer is plugged in, it’s using juice. Same goes for other appliances and even cell phone chargers. Electricity is flowing if the plug is in the outlet – take those plugs out of the wall and save money on your electric bill.