E-Waste Management
ALTEN is committed to E-Waste management practices as per norms. E-Waste is defined as electrical and electronic equipment, whole or in part discarded as waste by the consumer or bulk consumer as well as rejects from manufacturing, refurbishment and repair processes.
E-waste contains toxic and hazardous materials including mercury, lead, lithium, cadmium, beryllium, chromium, and chemical flame retardants, which have the potential to leach into our soil and water.
Benefits of E-Waste Recycling
- Electronics Recycling Conserves Natural Resources:
There are many materials that can be recovered from old electronics. These materials can be used to make new products, thus reducing the need to mine for new raw materials. For instance, various metals can be recovered from computer circuit boards and other electronics, and the plastics and glass found in computer monitors and televisions can be recycled.
- Electronics Recycling Supports the Community:
Donating your old electronics plays an important role in the provision of refurbished products such as computers and mobile phones, which can be of great help to low-income families, schools, and not-for-profit organizations. It also helps individuals gain access to technology that they could not have otherwise afforded.
- Electronics Recycling Creates Employment Locally:
Considering that around 90 percent of electronic equipment is recyclable, electronics recycling can play a significant role in creating employment. This is because new firms dealing with electronics recycling will form and existing firms will look to employ more people to recover recyclable materials. This can be triggered by the increase in the demand for electronics recycling.
- Electronics Recycling Helps Protect Public Health and the Environment:
Many electronics have toxic or hazardous materials such as mercury and lead, which can be harmful to the environment if disposed of in trashcans. Reusing and recycling electronics safely helps in keeping the hazardous materials from harming humans or the environment. For example, televisions and computer monitors are hazardous since they have lead in them. Printed circuit boards contain harmful materials such as cadmium, lead, lithium, mercury, and chromium. Also, batteries in computers and other electronics may contain hazardous materials such as cadmium, mercury, lithium, and lead.
Instead of keeping old electronics in the house or dumping them in landfills, recycling or reusing them is an appropriate option that should be supported by individuals and organizations. Considering the benefits of electronics recycling, it is very important that people in various parts around the world embrace this concept.
- Creates Jobs: E-Waste recycling creates new jobs for professional recyclers and creates a second market for the recycled.
Do’s:
- Always look for information on the catalogue with your product for end-of-life equipment.
- Ensure that only Authorized Recyclers/Dismantler handle your electronic products.
- Always call at our toll-free No’s to dispose products that have reached end-of life.
- Always drop your used electronic products, batteries, or any accessories when they reach the end of their life at your nearest Authorized E-Waste Collection.
- Always disconnect the battery from product, and ensure any glass surface is protected against.
Don’ts:
- Do not dismantle your electronic products on your own.
- Do not throw electronics in bins having “Do not dispose” sign.
- Do not give E-Waste to informal and unorganized sectors like Local Scrap Dealer / Rag Pickers.
- Do not dispose your product in garbage bins along with municipal waste that ultimately reaches landfill.