Electronic waste or e-waste – discarded electrical or electronic devices is a very real problem. Not only does e-waste contain such chemicals as arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium, if e-waste is mishandled during disposal, but these and other harmful chemicals can also end up in the environment.

E-waste encompasses electronic devices that are no longer in use or functioning, such as personal computers, Wi-Fi routers, network switches television sets, copiers, fax machines, cell phones, VCRs, and DVD players, and stereo equipment. While these may no longer be functional, they can be salvaged, refurbished, reused, or recycled.

Recognising the need for a safe centre for people to dump their previously loved electronics, MiRO has added e-waste bins outside its Centurion office for e-waste recycling. Now it has become really easy to clean out those cupboards and drop off your e-waste, knowing that it will be disposed of responsibly.

Handling e-waste this way simply makes sense. People and the environment are better protected and those appliances that can be refurbished can have a new lease on life. Imagine knowing that by dropping off your appliances at a responsible recycling site, you may have made a real contribution to a tech lab at a school that’s unable to afford what it needs for its students. - Or your fridge being refurbished and installed at an old age home.

E-waste recycling involves the disassembling and separation of the components and raw materials of waste electronics - whether whole or in fragments discarded as waste, they include rejects from manufacturing, refurbishment, and repair processes. While repair, donation, and reuse are not strictly recycling, they still represent viable and sustainable ways to dispose of e-waste. 

By keeping devices out of landfills, or recovering the parts within the devices that still have value, this can provide manufacturers with recycled metals that can be used to make new products. Management of e-waste is a vital factor in greening the future and preserving the environment for generations to come.

So visit MiRO at 9 Landmarks Avenue, Samrand, Centurion, and drop off your e-waste. You are also most welcome to pop into the offices at the same time to find out what is new in the world of communications and electronics!