Gadget Recycling- What we can do in this regard?

 All electronic waste is also called e-scrap or e-waste is the trash generated from outdated, surplus, and broken electronic devices. The amount of e-waste keeps on increasing every passing year because of the production of affordable and new devices. According to the World Economic Forum, the amount of e-scrap in 2018 was 4.5 million tonnes. To decrease the e-waste, you can sell old phone online or by visiting a pawnshop. The old electronic trash and its important parts can be reused in making new devices through recycling. The process is also known as gadget recycling as the sold electronics are refurbished and resold in the market. Many companies have started buying old phones and other electronics and in return, they give a decent amount to the seller. It is also a good way to earn from the investment you made while buying the electronic. Instead of going to waste, you get a small amount and the gadget is refurbished for further sale. You can also sell old phone online and get a loan.

In this article, we will see what is e-waste or e-scrap recycling and its importance. 

• Meaning- E-waste or e-scrap recycling is the process of reusing parts of old electronic gadgets to make new products. These old electronic gadgets are full of important metals like aluminium, copper, iron, tin, silver, titanium, and gold. Most of the parts in these devices are recyclable as they have plastic and glass. It would be a complete waste to throw these gadgets away as they have such valuable parts and materials that can be used to make new electronics. 
• Importance- The main aim of recycling gadgets is the preservation of the environment and reducing carbon footprint. It is also economical and a great way to reuse things and reducing our contribution to e-waste accumulation. 

Lets us look at some additional importance of recycling old gadgets into new ones:

• Sustainable source- Only 15% of gold is recovered successfully from the used electronics. Gadget recycling allows salvaging precious metals, reducing the mining of gold deposits directly from the earth.   
• Solid waste management- Recycling used products can also minimize the rapid generation of e-scrap. The production of new latest electronic devices affects the life cycle of the old gadgets. Hence, by refurbishing the old gadgets we can extend their life. 
• Processing of harmful materials- Electronic gadgets contains many harmful substances like cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium. Recycling these gadgets helps in properly processing these harmful materials. Thus, reducing the release of toxic materials to the environment.
• Provisions for movement and e-waste disposal- Proper recycling of gadgets help in processing and disposing of the different types of waste as per law. 

Now let us look at how gadget recycling works:

It is a difficult task to discard electronics. Many different methods need to be followed for retrieving different materials from these electronics. Some of the steps used for recycling electronics are as follows:

• Collection & transportation- The used gadgets are collected in bins and transported for processing to recycling plants. 
• Shredding, sorting, and Separation- After the delivery of used gadgets, the devices are cut down into smaller pieces/shredded and then sorted out as per the material. Through mechanical processing, all the valuable items like aluminium, copper, and other metals are extracted. The remnants go through an advanced sorting process.    
• Preparation for reuse- After complete separation of raw materials, they are used for the production of new devices. 

Gadget recycling is used for multipurpose. It is an eco-friendly method of disposing of the e-scrap or e-waste and is beneficial for the production of new devices.