The Growing Problem of E-Waste
A huge number of individuals got used to cast-off electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, air conditioners, and televisions whenever a slight issue arose. Therefore, defective and old devices amass in houses. One of the recent surveys in Europe indicated that in a household of an average of 74 people there are as many as 74 electronic gadgets. In particular, the old electronics are among headphones, remotes, watches, irons, hard drives, keyboards, mice, and the mobile phones being the most common ones that are abandoned.
E-Waste has become 72.47% more in the last five years in India. One of the biggest causees of this is the lack of knowledge—very few people know that there is an option to sell their broken or unused electronics online.
How to Sell Old Electronics Online
For old electronic devices, different platforms let you to sell them with no complications:
- Flipkart: A product price is determined by Flipkart when you upload the goods for selling. The product is checked by the company representatives before it can be bought from you. The price depends on the quality. The items you can sell are the phones including the Samsung Galaxy S11, Galaxy Tab A8, as well as well as the Galaxy Chromebook, and the other large goods include the Telivisions, fridges, and washing machines.
- Cashify: Based on the model, the platform automatically lists a price. When there are defects in testing, the platform reduces the price. You can sell the items such as the latest smart speakers, smart watches, cameras, the latest iMacs, and others.
- OLX & Quikr: These websites allow you not only to create your price list but also to add your items to the list. The interested buyers can bargain the prices plus they can pick the items up.
- Exchange Offers: On sites like Flipkart and Amazon, you can swap your old gadgets for discounts on new purchases.
Important Points to Consider Before Selling
Here are the ways you can protect your personal data if you want to sell a mobile phone or another smart device:
- Factory Reset: Make sure you remove all the data from the device before selling it.
- Disable "Find My Phone": Make sure that the location features are off, being cautious.
- Be Careful with Buyers: When you sell to a strange person or unverified organization you put your computer at risk. Sale to them will likely be a cybersecurity issue. So, be careful.
E-Waste in India: A Growing Concern
The problem of e-waste in India is continuously growing. In the years 2019-20, India has produced about 1.01 million tons of e-waste that now has been at 72.54% more by 2023-24. However, the recycling rate for e-waste improved by 33% in 2022-23, yet professionals think that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
How Other Countries Manage E-Waste
Most developed countries have been strict with e-waste. One of the preferential options is an e-waste collection system. Nonetheless, there are cases in the US where manufacturers of household goods are responsible for recycling’ old products. The buyers’ payments represent a recycling fee. They pay the needs of the states for e-recycling.
- United States & Germany: Govt-funded e-scrapping centers where citizens can continue the proper disposal of the electronic types have been installed. The collection center, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be a good idea. It may give rise to air pollution and more.
- European Union: A company takes an old electronic and reuses its parts or melts its working materials to get other electronic items. It is a common practice of many software companies to partake in the recycling of ancient electronic devices as well. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) initiative introduced by the EU is one such example, where companies even have to take back the used electronics they once had for reuse.
- Apple, Samsung, Dell: The above brands take back old devices from customers to be recycled and offer them new devices at discounted prices.
- Right to Repair Laws: In Europe, manufacturers must equip electronic devices with more durable and eco-friendly materials so that people buying them can repair the devices in case they fail to work properly.
This comes with a lot of benefits e.g. you can sell, recycle the devices or dispose of them responsibly to a more sustainable environment.
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