Good question from a SolarPunk website:
Anyone have ideas for self-recycling e-waste? I don’t know anything about electronics but am willing to learn. Is it worth it to try and build new machines out of old tech, or is it better off to send them to recycling centers?
Self-recycling e-waste. Any thoughts? : solarpunk
So, what can we do with our e-waste – at home or in our own communities – other than just taking it to the local recycling centre?
START WITH A QUESTIONNAIRE:
If you made a pile of all the electronic devices (cell phones, computers, stereos, televisions, MP3 players, video game systems, remote-control toys, etc.) that your family has gotten rid of since you were a baby, how big would that pile be? Would it be taller than you? Would it fit better in a wheelbarrow or in a pickup truck? And did they just throw it in the trash? In this science project, you’ll explore what people in your community do with electronic waste, commonly called e-waste, and whether or not those actions are environmentally friendly.
Uh-oh! What Do We Do With Our E-waste? | Science Project
START BY DECLUTTERING:
Start by locating all of your nests of electronic and electrical clutter and get everything together in one spot. This is a trick we borrowed from Marie Kondo. It’s a lot easier to make the decision to say goodbye to an old ethernet cable when you realise you have eight of them.
Find three bags or boxes and label them ‘Sell’, ‘Donate’ and ‘Recycle’.
Separate your stuff into like items. Match cords, cables and accessories with electronics. As you go
through things, check for damage. Anything that’s broken can go straight into the recycling container. If you think an item is worth selling, look it up online and see what you could get for it. If something is in good shape but it’s not worth your time selling, consider donating it. Below, we’ve got options for new homes for all of your old electronics.
How to sell, donate and recycle your old electronics | Tech Advisor
CREATE A SCHOOL PROJECT:
An initiative to raise awareness and educate people about proper Electronic Waste Management through symposia and annual collection drives. The E-waste Project is a campaign to raise awareness on the impending threat that the growing number of improperly disposed old and defective electronic devices pose on the environment. The project aims to collect and encourage the practice of recycling and proper disposal of these hazardous and poisonous materials collectively known as “e-waste”. [see poster]
(20+) The E-Waste Project | Facebook
TURN IT INTO ART:
E-Waste is just scrap material and parts salvaged from electronics or commercial products. Some of these things can actually be reused or turned into awesome art! Check out these projects with E-Waste to see what you can make from your old or broken-down stuff!
Projects With E-Waste – Instructables
Old computer scanners headed for the trash or more appropriate the ‘landfill’. Have a second life. I recycle them. I am a computer techie and I like my desk to be flooded with light and no shadows. The solution is old scanners… [see photo]
Very Efficient Very Cool Lighting With Recycled Cold Cathode. – Instructables
INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY:
10 Ways To Involve The Community In E-Waste Recycling |
Hopewell to hold first e-Waste drive of 2022 on March 26
83% of the UK is concerned about e-waste, says research | giffgaff
BE INSPIRED – BE ENTREPRENEURIAL:
E Waste Projects | Photos, videos, logos, illustrations and branding on Behance
JUNK-TION: E-waste kiosk and app on Behance
E-waste: Turning a challenge into business advantage
GET IT FIXED:
Can we fix our way out of the growing e-waste problem? – BBC News
The UK’s factories were the engine rooms of the Industrial Revolution, introducing the world to new ways of working, making and consuming. Can two ‘fixing factories’ in London help do the same for the burgeoning circular economy?
Due to open in Camden and Brent this spring, the facilities will produce nothing. Instead their volunteer workforce will repair people’s broken electronics on a pay-what-you-like basis. They will also offer workshops and training, to empower people to repair their own items.
“We’ll turn the Fordist factory on its head and forge new spaces for fixing, learning, curiosity and empowerment,” said the Restart Project, the repair charity involved in the project.
Coming to a high street near you: factories that repair your electronics – Positive News
Fixing Factories: And we’re off – The Restart Project
GO TO THE REPAIR CAFÉ:
Sidmouth Repair Café happens on the last Saturday of every month (except July/August & December), from 10am to 1pm at Sidmouth Youth Centre in Manstone Lane
Repair Cafes are free community meeting places and they’re all about repairing things together