There's no denying that technology is evolving at a fast pace. It's a good thing since it's meant to make everyone's lives easier or more convenient. However, it doesn't occur to many that as technology progresses, we discard the old ones which leads to electronic waste. Here are ways to reduce that.
1. Sell Your Old Devices
Throwing out your old devices when they work completely fine would be a waste. You can easily sell them once you decide to buy yourself an upgrade. After all, what's old to you could be new to someone else.
It's not uncommon for people to want to buy older models of electronic devices so they can save. Since it's a second-hand device, you'll have to sell it cheaper than its original price, but that's also another selling point for people who don't want to spend much on electronics.
2. Repurpose Your Old Phones
Just because your phone can't perform the tasks that you need it for like browsing through apps, doesn't mean you should discard it. You can always repurpose it, as suggested by Green Child Magazine.
For instance, you can download an app that lets you use your old smartphone as a remote control. You can also install it on your car and use it as a GPS. If you feel like music apps are draining your new phone, then use the old one as a music player.
3. Educate Yourself About Maintenance
Learning and practicing proper device maintenance can go a long way. This means that your computers or smartphones will have a longer life span, which prevents you from needing a new one so soon. Not only will this reduce your electronic waste, but it will also allow you to save money.
4. Store Your Data Online
The Internet is basically an unlimited storage place for your data. Try and look for cloud storage that you might want to try out. This reduces your need for hardware that stores data like external hard drives or USBs.
Sooner or later, there will be a more advanced device that can store your data, and you will have to discard your hardware store. It's better to opt for online storage. Two examples are DropBox and Google Drive. You can explore further options if you like.
Read Also: How Mobile Phone Recycling is About to Take the Hit?
5. Re-evaluate
We often buy things we don't really need, and electronics are not exempted from that fact. Before you buy any device, you should ask yourself first if you really need it. Buying a new phone for instance, when your current one world just fine, as suggested by Get Green Now.
6. Learn How to Repair Electronics
One of the reasons we buy new devices is because the old doesn't seem to work anymore. Well, there are times when it could be fixed with a little tweak. You can learn how to fix your broken electronics so you won't have to replace them with new ones.
7. Rent or Borrow
Say you need to use a drill for a certain home project but you don't have one, you can just ask your friendly neighbor if they have one you can borrow. This is especially efficient if you only need to use it once anyway.
As for industrial-sized electronics, there are a number of services where you can rent them instead of buying one. Not only is it cost-effective, you'll also save yourself a lot of money instead of buying something you'll need once or twice.
Related: 5.3 Billion Mobile Phones Will Become E-Waste This Year, Says WEEE
