Where Does Your E-waste Go?

The New Year has come and it’s high time for some resolution. This year, we dare you to go green! Let’s be mindful of where our e-waste go. If the health industry has proper disposal and garbage facilities for medical waste, e-waste of the IT industry should also be managed accordingly.

A recent report stated that the number of waste electronics will double its number in the next fifteen years. E-waste is forecasted to be more than 14 million tons when we reach 2025. Visually, that will amount to 1.47 million cubic feet of electronic waste. In 2010 alone, we had 6 million tons of e-waste amounting to 676 million cubic feet.

So what is the best thing to do with your e-waste? Just like what you do with paper and plastic garbage, it is best to recycle cast off electronics. In the Philippines, you can head to a participating SM Mall where they often held Recycling Market. You can go at SM Malls, bring you old computers / monitors and non-working electrical appliances and exchange them for cash. The Waste Market Day happens every first Friday and Saturday of the month from 8 AM to 2 PM. Aside from cash, you can also exchange some of your recycle waste to some handy items. This green effort is sponsored by SM Group of Companies, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Philippine Business for the Environment.

E-scrap management still has a long way to go. We are thinking there should be more design innovations that will allow consumers to refurbish and remodel their e-waste. There should also be a reuse effort where we can donate old electronics to more worthy causes. Hopefully this year, the government will put in more effort into creating awareness of proper e-waste management. Let us all work together in keeping Mother Earth happy this 2012!