What are the Types of Electronic Waste?
In our previous blog entitled: ‘What is E Waste and Why is it a Problem?’, we covered the definition of electronic waste and the impact that its improper disposal is having on the environment. The term electronic waste actually covers a great deal of information, so it is important to understand what electronic waste is and what proper electronic waste disposal methods are.
Electronic Waste Examples
As previously mentioned, electronic waste is a broad term, it essentially means anything that is electronic, so as you can imagine, there are many devices and objects that fall into the electronic waste category.
Multiple devices are counted as electronic waste, but there are simple subgroups that break down the types of electronic waste, and these include:
- Household appliances: This includes, fridges, freezers, ovens, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, etc.
- IT equipment: Devices ranging from computers, printers, hard drives, and CDs.
- Consumer electronics: From your mobile phone to your TV, laptop, and even the solar panels fall under this category.
- Miscellaneous: This is anything that doesn’t fall into the above categories, such as LED light bulbs, vending machines, children’s toys, gaming consoles, and more.
Simply put, anything that needs to be plugged in or requires batteries to operate is considered to be electronic wastewhen it is no longer needed.
As we are living in a world that is becoming increasingly more digital, the amount of electronic waste in Singapore and the rest of the world is rising at an alarming rate. Electronic waste recycling is an issue that everyone is facing, and although Singapore has designated electronic waste recycling bins that can be found outside of supermarkets and other large shops, up to 30% of waste in these bins is not considered as electronic waste. Therefore, although the government is putting measures in place to reduce electronic waste it is not always effective.
How to Manage and Dispose of Electronic Waste
Singapore generates around 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste a year, which is equivalent to 70 mobile phones per person.[1] And with the electronic waste issue in Singapore growing every year, especially so after COVID-19, individuals and businesses alike must take action and manage their electronic waste disposal process.
There are two ways that organisations can reduce their electronic waste. Firstly, it has become common practice that when an appliance or device stops working, it is immediately replaced. However, more often than not, simply replacing a part will fix the issue within the appliance or device. In turn, this would aid in reducing the amount of electronic wasteending up in landfill.
Or, if your appliance or device is beyond repair, or needs an upgrade, then it is essential that you properly dispose of your electronic waste in the correct and designated electronic waste recycling bin. These are the type of electronic waste bins that can be found outside of supermarkets and other large shops; but these electronic waste recycling bins are not secure and risk the potential of a data breach, meaning your organisation’s, employees’, and clients’ confidential information could become vulnerable and fall into the wrong hands.
Many organisations will think that deleting or wiping the electronic device is enough security before disposal. However, those who want to steal your confidential data can still retrieve it if the device is not permanently destroyed. As a leading information security company, Shred-it can provide secure, safe, and environmentally friendly solutions for your electronic waste so you can be safe in the knowledge that your hard drives and other electronics won’t be at risk of a data breach.
Secure Electronic Waste Disposal with Shred-it
We can offer two different electronic waste recycling services that will help to ensure that your electronic waste is disposed of securely to minimise the risk of a data breach.
Our Hard Drive Destruction Service can securely destroy your business’ hard drives by shredding your hard drive into small pieces using industrial grade destruction equipment. This method ensures that your hard drive is irreparably destroyed so the data cannot be retrieved. And our Media Destruction Service can dispose of any other media you may have in the office, such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, zip disks, and USBs.
Shred-it can help organisations with our electronic waste recycling services; however, it is vital that both individuals and businesses properly dispose of all their electronic waste listed earlier to ensure we are all helping to reduce the improper electronic waste disposal in Singapore.
Find out more about our hard drive and media destruction services by getting in touch today to see how our services can protect your business, employees, and customers.
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Disclaimer
This article is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should not take, or refrain from taking, actions based upon the content of this article. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Please seek professional legal advice.
