Zero Waste Mother’s Day Gifts and Ideas
Mothering Sunday is all about celebrating wonderful women. Respect Mother Earth as well this year with these zero-waste Mother’s Day gifts and ideas.
Disposing of old computer monitors from your home or business can be done in a sustainable and safe way. When computers and monitors reach the end of their life, it’s important that you get rid of them in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner – so they don’t end up in landfill and add to pollution levels.
Recycling computer monitors is the best option, to ensure as many materials as possible are reused. Discover how to recycle and dispose of old computers, monitors, laptops, and more in this guide.
The display device in most modern computer monitors is typically made of a thin film transistor, liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). They tend to also have LED backlighting. This replaced the fluorescent lamp backlighting that was used in previous computer monitors. The backing and bezel of a computer monitor is normally made of plastic (sometimes metal).
Computer monitors class as a type of WEEE waste – as they’re a form of waste electrical and electronic equipment. However, they also class as a type of hazardous waste as they contain toxic materials including nickel, lead, zinc, and chromium. Therefore, proper disposal of computer monitors is essential to get rid of them safely.
If your computer monitor is only suited for scrap, the best option is to contact your local council. The better councils will collect your computer monitors for a small fee (usually no more than £10). You might also be able to take them to a council run recycling centre, just check they take computer monitors first.
When you run a business that has old computer monitors for disposal, you must arrange collection by licensed waste carriers. Contact us at Business Waste and we can arrange collection and recycling of your used computer monitors, as well as other WEEE waste.
Dell is one of the few computer suppliers that’s had a serious viewpoint about recycling for over a decade. If you buy computers from Dell, they’ll take your old computer monitors away from any brand for recycling. However, ever since the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive came into force, companies who produce IT equipment like computer monitors also must dispose of it.
There are three main problems with disposing of computer monitor waste:
There are a few eco-friendly alternatives to disposing of computer monitors:
Yes, computers can easily be recycled, though they need to be taken to the appropriate waste management facility. The process of recycling involves:
Yes, laptops can also be recycled throughout the UK, and the laptop recycling process is very similar to the system used to dispose of computers. In short, hazardous materials and chemicals are removed before the remaining materials are separated ready for reuse.
Laptops usually contain lithium-ion batteries, which are rechargeable and easy to recycle. The recycling process for lithium-ion battery involves deactivating and disassembling the battery before it’s crushed and sorted to allow for electrolyte recovery.
Computers are an example of WEEE waste, meaning there are specific rules and regulations regarding their disposal. This is because they contain various hazardous materials, such as lead, mercury, chromium, beryllium, and cadmium – each of which could pose a threat to both the environment and human life.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways in which you can dispose of your computer safely. This could include reselling, donating, or recycling your computer. Electronic equipment like computers are collected at WEEE recycling centres. They’re then taken to a plant where they’re reprocessed and the plastic is shredded into tiny pieces for reuse.
Computers and laptops are made from a wide range of different materials, including small amounts of gold. In these cases, gold is used as it’s highly conductive and resists corrosion – helping give your computer and laptop a long life. As there are many benefits to gold recycling, it will likely be extracted during the recycling process to be reused.
Many businesses are reluctant to recycle their old WEEE waste due to fears regarding data security – especially if your computer stored sensitive information. However, there are plenty of ways to prevent breaches ahead of time by removing the hard drive. While the process varies between different makes and models, you can usually remove the hard drive from a computer by:
In addition to removing the hard drive, there are certain steps you can take to clean your computer before disposal. This reduces the risk of data and security breaches. For example, you should:
Throwing away or recycling a highly functional computer can seem like an incredible waste. Therefore, one way you can safely dispose of your old computer, laptop, or computer monitor, is by donating it to charity or to local schools on the lookout for new learning materials and resources.
You can usually find charities looking for computers in your area with a quick search, but here are some great examples:
Plenty of people also resell their computers or laptops as opposed to recycling them – even if they’re not in the best condition. This is a great way to earn a little money and reduces the pressure on recycling and waste disposal centres. Thankfully, there are various ways and places you can resell your old computer, both online and in person.
Websites such as eBay, Gumtree, and Facebook Marketplace are good places to start selling your old computer. You can also sell them at in person at car boot sales, or even at specific computer fairs.
A few key facts about computer waste disposal are that:
At Business Waste, we pride ourselves on helping clients across a wide variety of industries safely and securely dispose of their commercial waste, including any WEEE or computer waste. This process is achieved through close collaboration and discussion with each business to put together a waste management plan that meets your unique requirements.
When it comes to disposing of computer waste, we’ll provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to store and dispose of your computer waste in compliance with the WEEE directive safely and securely. We’ll provide you with a series of free waste bins to store your waste before waste collection.
Contact our expert team for all your computer monitor disposal and recycling needs today.
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Mothering Sunday is all about celebrating wonderful women. Respect Mother Earth as well this year with these zero-waste Mother’s Day gifts and ideas.
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