Today, new gadgets are being introduced into the market almost every other day. Who doesn’t want to buy and own the latest mobile phone, portable music player, video game console, laptops etc? However, what does one do with their old gadgets when replaced by some new ones—one simply cannot just put it in the bin and eventually let it lie around somewhere on the planet because these sturdy materials do not disintegrate. With increased awareness about the crucial need to reduce our impact on the environment, companies are now devising ways for consumers to resell their gadgets after use. What they do is dismantle your used gadgets and extract various elements from them to reuse in making new products. Quite a few of the components are sent directly or after partial manual disintegration to the shredder, which generates materials like glass, aluminium, plastic etc. that can be reused to make new products. Some innovative design companies even use parts of gadgets sent in for recycling to make collector’s items like chairs, lamps, jewellery etc.
Currently, in our country, there aren’t as many options available as there are in some other countries, however, if one is serious about recycling their gadgets then one can explore options elsewhere too. There are some fabulous websites that purchase your used gadgets and recycle them for you. If your gadgets are in decent condition then you can even sell them on sites that buy previously owned items for someone else to use or resell them to someone you know.
When it comes to mobile phones, companies like Nokia have started an innovative scheme wherein they have set up almost 5000 recycling points all around the world. In India, Nokia has set up recycling bins at various Nokia Care Centres and Nokia Priority Dealers where one can go and dispose their old mobile phones, chargers and other accessories, regardless of the brand, for recycling. For more information, you can check with your nearest Nokia Care Centre or Priority Dealer. The company also plants a tree for every handset dropped into these bins and sometimes gives out surprise gifts.
LG Electronics has also set up similar services in the country in partnership with Attero Recycling, which is an authorized e-waste recycler with the Ministry of Environment & Forests. You can look through their website for more information. Likewise, Hewlett Packard has also recently extended their recycling program to our country.
So, don’t think twice, just do some research on the Internet or make a few phone calls and ensure that your used gadget or device is resold or ends up in the shredder.
