What is E waste?
Ewaste, or electronic waste, refers to discarded electrical and electronic devices.
Notoriously challenging to manage due to its complex composition, ewaste often contains valuable materials as well as hazardous substances that can pose significant environmental and health risks if not handled properly. According to the UN, each person on the planet produced on average 7.6kg of e-waste in 2021, illustrating the immense scale of this global issue.
Some examples of ewaste:
Computers
Laptops
Keyboards
Mice
Printers
Servers
Mobile Phones
Tablets
Too much Ewaste is produced each year
In 2022, UK businesses discarded over 200,000 tonnes of electronic equipment, equivalent to the weight of nearly 20 Eiffel Towers. This staggering amount highlights the urgent need for sustainable IT disposal and management practices for electronic waste.
A UN report states there is almost £7.9 billion worth of gold, platinum and other precious materials dumped each year in ewaste, increasing the demand for more of these materials to be mined.
The impact of Ewaste on the Environment
Electronics contain harmful chemicals like lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can leach into the soil and water supply, posing a threat to wildlife and human health.
Properly recycling ewaste ensures that these toxins are handled safely and do not contribute to the contamination of our natural resources.
How to reduce ewaste
There are several methods for reducing ewaste. The most important and effective is, of course, to increase the lifecycle of IT equipment to achieve the maximum from its lifecycle, before it is sustainably recycled.
Embracing The Circular Economy
The circular economy offers a practical solution to ewaste, transforming the traditional cycle ‘use and discard’ into one of renewal.
Through the reuse, refurbishment, and recycling of devices, we can divert finite resources away from landfills and incinerators, creating a sustainable closed-loop system.
At the heart of this model is the extension of electronics’ lifespans, not only reducing the volume of ewaste in landfills but also lowering demand for new device manufacturing which conserves materials and lowers carbon emissions.
Vyta, as an IT Asset Disposition service provider, is at the forefront of this change. We prioritise the wiping, refurbishing and resale of IT equipment, rather recycling it by default.
Purchase Refurbished IT Equipment
Refurbished IT equipment refers to devices that have been data wiped, repaired, had parts replaced, cleaned, repaired and often upgraded, bringing it up to an optimal condition and specification, desirable by new users.
Choosing refurbished IT equipment when purchasing new devices is a sustainable choice that not only reduces the environmental volume and impact of ewaste but lowers carbon emissions generated by lower demand for new devices to be manufactured.
Refurbishment is more sustainable than recycling by avoiding the energy requirements of recycling back to its raw resources to be used again in manufacturing.
Vyta collects redundant IT equipment from global organisations and government departments, devices that are typically higher specification than those found for sale in shops. Once all data has been wiped from the devices, they enter the refurbishment phase, a 23-step process that ensures are assessed upon arrival, segregated into those nee
Vyta sells Refurbished IT to businesses as well as directly to consumers through our sister website, RefreshedByUs.
Ewaste Recycling
Vyta always prioritises the refurbishment of devices, but this is not always possible, sometimes devices are too outdated or damaged to be resold.
Whilst recycling is not the most effective method of reducing ewaste, recycling is a necessary part of the process. The goal is to ensure that the materials in electronic devices are reused and repurposed, rather than ending up in landfills, saving rare earth metals such as Neodymium and Palladium from going to waste.
Vyta’s specialist recycling process boasts an 99% material recovery rate, as well as a zero landfill policy, ensuring maximum sustainability.
R2v3 Certified Recycling Locations
Vyta’s Chelmsford, Dublin and Mallusk sites are all R2v3 Certified, but what does this mean?
R2v3 is the latest iteration of the Responsible Recycling standard for ITADs like Vyta, certifying that facilities adhere to the highest industry standards for environmentally responsible recycling. When you see an R2v3 certification, you can trust that the facility processes ewaste safely, effectively and sustainably.
Only through responsible and certified recycling can device owners be assured that when they hand over their devices it will be treated properly and in accordance with all environmental law.
