Does E-Waste Recycling Really Help the Environment?

After repair and reuse, recycling is the best option when it comes to surplus IT hardware. We would always recommend attempting to keep hardware in use, but at some point, this will no longer be viable or possible, and this is when you should seek out a recycler. Recycling means that the material from redundant IT can continue to be put back into use, in turn reducing the demand for mining which helps to preserve our finite supply of critical raw materials. It also lowers the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the mining and smelting process.

The Circular Economy

The concept of the circular economy is paramount to a more sustainable future in the IT sector. The circular economy is a system that aims to eliminate waste and the need for continuous resource mining. Currently, the technology sector struggles to adhere to this way of thinking for the most part, as can be seen by the fact that e-waste is the fastest growing solid waste stream in the world.

The Best Options for Your Redundant IT 

This may be an article about the benefits of e-waste recycling, but it should also be the final option taken.

Plenty of surplus IT equipment is ripe for repair and reuse. Keeping items in use is a key aspect of the circular economy as it reduces the requirement for new equipment, in turn reducing the demand of mining for finite materials which carries a large carbon footprint. In 2024, 255.5 million PCs and laptops were shipped globally. This was an increase of nearly 4% on the previous year and created a major carbon footprint - producing an estimated 76.5 million kg of CO2e. The worst part? The majority of these devices will be retired within just three years, never to be used again. In a circular economy, these devices might still be replaced after three years by the original purchaser, but they would go back into the market and be recirculated to others. Eventually, after a much longer life they would then be recycled, and their raw materials can be reused. 

Most of these devices are retired within just three years, contributing significantly to electronic waste and its harmful impacts on human and environmental health.  

What Happens If I Don’t Recycle E-Waste? 

Unfortunately, the majority of redundant IT is not responsibly recycled, and the result of this is all too clear to see. It’s estimated that a mere 22% of all redundant electrical equipment being recycled with the rest either forgotten about or cast into landfill.  

Even when IT equipment becomes redundant, it holds value in the materials that make it. All materials are finite, and certain materials, such as gold, are vital to the production of other electronic equipment. It’s estimated that around 7% of the world’s gold is currently trapped in e-waste, a concerning number given that it is vital in so many electronic devices. Without e-waste recycling, this number will continue to rise, and a day will come when the supply of precious materials runs out. 

How E-Waste Recycling Helps the Environment 

When a redundant piece of hardware reaches the end of its life and goes through the correct recycling process, it has a number of positive knock-on effects for the environment.  

Reducing Landfill Waste

As we previously covered, the largest and most obvious benefit of e-waste recycling is that it heavily reduces the amount of e-waste heading to landfill. The toxic threat of e-waste is not to be underestimated, as it causes serious, long term and even fatal health issues to those around it. The less e-waste that goes to landfill, the better. 

Reducing the Need to Mine  

If we can recover materials from redundant IT, it means that the demand for mining is reduced, helping to preserve existing natural resources. Resource recovery techniques are constantly evolving and becoming more efficient, meaning that the yield that comes from e-waste recycling is only going to increase, further decreasing requirements for mining. 

Lower Carbon Footprint 

The other effect of reusing materials and reducing mining is that carbon emissions are greatly reduced. A large amount of the footprint of devices comes from the mining and manufacturing processes. So, when equipment reuses materials, a significant portion of the emissions it would have generated are eliminated. In fact, research found that as much as 60-80% of a laptop’s carbon footprint comes from manufacturing alone, and the number can also reach up to 75% in servers. 

E-Waste Recycling with Techbuyer 

If you find yourself with redundant IT, or you are looking to update hardware, Techbuyer is here to help. It’s not just e-waste recycling, our ITAD service offers secure data sanitisation so that hardware can be reintroduced to the market with no risk of data leaks. Our Resource Recovery team work in tandem to ensure we abide by our zero-to-landfill policy and work with a range of e-waste recyclers that are actively pushing exciting new technologies. If you are looking to go through an IT refresh and you’re not sure what to do with redundant equipment, be sure to reach out to our team.